Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Northern America

Northern America: Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) was 170,311 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
170,311 kt
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
13th
of 32 groups
All-time high
268,668 kt
in 1989
All-time low
148,652 kt
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Northern America, 1961–2023

0100.0k200.0k300.0k196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

The most recent figure for waste — emissions (co2eq) in Northern America is 170,311 kt, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions (co2eq) in Northern America peaked at 268,668 kt in 1989 and was at its lowest, 148,652 kt, in 1961.

That places Northern America 13th out of 32 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Northern America, year by year

Annual values for Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in Northern America, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 148,652 kt
1962 159,382 kt +7.2%
1963 170,394 kt +6.9%
1964 181,767 kt +6.7%
1965 193,451 kt +6.4%
1966 205,444 kt +6.2%
1967 217,465 kt +5.9%
1968 230,073 kt +5.8%
1969 242,934 kt +5.6%
1970 231,781 kt -4.6%
1971 248,018 kt +7.0%
1972 250,040 kt +0.8%
1973 251,758 kt +0.7%
1974 252,890 kt +0.4%
1975 253,046 kt +0.1%
1976 256,759 kt +1.5%
1977 258,922 kt +0.8%
1978 261,067 kt +0.8%
1979 262,769 kt +0.7%
1980 264,396 kt +0.6%
1981 265,262 kt +0.3%
1982 265,307 kt +0.0%
1983 266,381 kt +0.4%
1984 266,358 kt -0.0%
1985 266,216 kt -0.1%
1986 266,845 kt +0.2%
1987 268,084 kt +0.5%
1988 268,410 kt +0.1%
1989 268,668 kt +0.1%
1990 260,219 kt -3.1%
1991 260,293 kt +0.0%
1992 261,270 kt +0.4%
1993 258,771 kt -1.0%
1994 257,755 kt -0.4%
1995 247,669 kt -3.9%
1996 240,324 kt -3.0%
1997 227,575 kt -5.3%
1998 218,215 kt -4.1%
1999 212,086 kt -2.8%
2000 208,601 kt -1.6%
2001 179,632 kt -13.9%
2002 172,388 kt -4.0%
2003 176,796 kt +2.6%
2004 173,746 kt -1.7%
2005 180,703 kt +4.0%
2006 185,188 kt +2.5%
2007 189,788 kt +2.5%
2008 195,499 kt +3.0%
2009 180,165 kt -7.8%
2010 163,843 kt -9.1%
2011 158,983 kt -3.0%
2012 154,860 kt -2.6%
2013 155,177 kt +0.2%
2014 157,586 kt +1.6%
2015 161,206 kt +2.3%
2016 162,278 kt +0.7%
2017 163,726 kt +0.9%
2018 165,460 kt +1.1%
2019 166,668 kt +0.7%
2020 167,145 kt +0.3%
2021 167,819 kt +0.4%
2022 169,175 kt +0.8%
2023 170,311 kt +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 194,396 kt 148,652 kt 242,934 kt 9
1970s 252,705 kt 231,781 kt 262,769 kt 10
1980s 266,593 kt 264,396 kt 268,668 kt 10
1990s 244,418 kt 212,086 kt 261,270 kt 10
2000s 184,251 kt 172,388 kt 208,601 kt 10
2010s 160,979 kt 154,860 kt 166,668 kt 10
2020s 168,612 kt 167,145 kt 170,311 kt 4

Countries ranked near Northern America

  1. 10 Nigeria 32,059 kt compare
  2. 11 Saudi Arabia 31,618 kt compare
  3. 12 Thailand 26,211 kt compare
  4. 13 Pakistan 25,443 kt compare
  5. 14 Colombia 22,914 kt compare
  6. 15 Canada 22,421 kt compare
  7. 16 Republic of Korea 22,393 kt compare

See the full ranking of 253 places →

More climate change data for Northern America

All data for Northern America →

Frequently asked questions

What is waste — emissions (co2eq) in Northern America?
Waste — emissions (co2eq) in Northern America was 170,311 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Northern America?
The highest recorded value was 268,668 kt in 1989.
What is the lowest waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Northern America?
The lowest recorded value was 148,652 kt in 1961.
How does Northern America rank for waste — emissions (co2eq)?
Northern America ranks 13th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in Northern America?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Northern America data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in Northern America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/waste-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/northern-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
253 places, 14,574 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf