Greenhouse gas emissions in United States
United States: Greenhouse gas emissions was 6.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
6.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
2nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2005
All-time low
774.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in United States, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
United States recorded 6.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for greenhouse gas emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in United States peaked at 7.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2005 and was at its lowest, 774.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
United States ranks 2nd of 199 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 927.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 774.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.06 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 907.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 872.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 986.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.47 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.13 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.74 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.70 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.61 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 2.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.91 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.28 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 2.53 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.27 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 2.96 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.83 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.25 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 3.20 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.90 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.39 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.68 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.42 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.04 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.48 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.97 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.88 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.61 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.66 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.92 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.68 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.06 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.81 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.33 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.98 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.72 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.33 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.69 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.39 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.01 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.11 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.58 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.47 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.31 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.82 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.04 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.76 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.20 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 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 greenhouse gas emissions in United States?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in United States was 6.05 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 7.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2005.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 774.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does United States rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.