Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in United States
United States: Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal was 20.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal in United States, 1800–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 20.7% for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in United States peaked at 35.3% in 1948 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1800.
United States ranks 2nd of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1830s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1840s | 2.8% | 2.1% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1850s | 5.6% | 4.0% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 1860s | 8.7% | 7.6% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1870s | 12.0% | 10.3% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1880s | 16.0% | 14.0% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 1890s | 20.6% | 18.5% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 1900s | 25.5% | 23.0% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 1910s | 30.4% | 28.4% | 32.5% | 10 |
| 1920s | 34.1% | 32.9% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 1930s | 35.0% | 34.7% | 35.2% | 10 |
| 1940s | 34.9% | 34.6% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 1950s | 34.3% | 33.2% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 31.7% | 30.8% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 29.7% | 28.9% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.0% | 27.3% | 28.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.7% | 26.4% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.8% | 25.0% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.5% | 22.2% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.3% | 20.7% | 21.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in United States?
- Share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal in United States was 20.7% in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 35.3% in 1948.
- What is the lowest share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1800.
- How does United States rank for share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global cumulative co₂ emissions from coal rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 225 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal since the first year of available data, measured as a percentage of global cumulative emissions of CO₂ from coal.