Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in United States

United States: Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) was 147,890 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
147,890 kt
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
4th
of 232 countries
All-time high
245,141 kt
in 1989
All-time low
135,179 kt
in 2012
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in United States, 1961–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k196119922023

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

Analysis

In 2023, waste — emissions (co2eq) in United States stood at 147,890 kt.

That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, waste — emissions (co2eq) in United States peaked at 245,141 kt in 1989 and was at its lowest, 135,179 kt, in 2012.

That places United States 4th out of 232 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) in United States, year by year

Annual values for Waste — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in United States, 1961 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1961 137,500 kt
1962 147,433 kt +7.2%
1963 157,646 kt +6.9%
1964 168,191 kt +6.7%
1965 179,016 kt +6.4%
1966 190,122 kt +6.2%
1967 201,201 kt +5.8%
1968 212,866 kt +5.8%
1969 224,759 kt +5.6%
1970 213,481 kt -5.0%
1971 229,521 kt +7.5%
1972 231,201 kt +0.7%
1973 232,601 kt +0.6%
1974 233,441 kt +0.4%
1975 234,054 kt +0.3%
1976 237,039 kt +1.3%
1977 238,946 kt +0.8%
1978 240,653 kt +0.7%
1979 242,133 kt +0.6%
1980 243,506 kt +0.6%
1981 244,172 kt +0.3%
1982 244,172 kt +0.0%
1983 244,838 kt +0.3%
1984 244,358 kt -0.2%
1985 244,036 kt -0.1%
1986 244,316 kt +0.1%
1987 245,062 kt +0.3%
1988 245,115 kt +0.0%
1989 245,141 kt +0.0%
1990 236,567 kt -3.5%
1991 237,006 kt +0.2%
1992 238,005 kt +0.4%
1993 236,231 kt -0.7%
1994 234,736 kt -0.6%
1995 225,070 kt -4.1%
1996 219,095 kt -2.7%
1997 207,241 kt -5.4%
1998 197,933 kt -4.5%
1999 190,839 kt -3.6%
2000 186,211 kt -2.4%
2001 158,290 kt -15.0%
2002 149,970 kt -5.3%
2003 154,715 kt +3.2%
2004 150,700 kt -2.6%
2005 158,313 kt +5.1%
2006 161,726 kt +2.2%
2007 166,566 kt +3.0%
2008 173,846 kt +4.4%
2009 160,020 kt -8.0%
2010 143,980 kt -10.0%
2011 139,300 kt -3.3%
2012 135,179 kt -3.0%
2013 136,178 kt +0.7%
2014 137,431 kt +0.9%
2015 140,643 kt +2.3%
2016 142,002 kt +1.0%
2017 143,667 kt +1.2%
2018 144,760 kt +0.8%
2019 145,426 kt +0.5%
2020 145,532 kt +0.1%
2021 145,945 kt +0.3%
2022 147,197 kt +0.9%
2023 147,890 kt +0.5%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 147,890 kt is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,573 kt, 57.5× the median. (65 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 179,859 kt 137,500 kt 224,759 kt 9
1970s 233,307 kt 213,481 kt 242,133 kt 10
1980s 244,472 kt 243,506 kt 245,141 kt 10
1990s 222,272 kt 190,839 kt 238,005 kt 10
2000s 162,036 kt 149,970 kt 186,211 kt 10
2010s 140,857 kt 135,179 kt 145,426 kt 10
2020s 146,641 kt 145,532 kt 147,890 kt 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 1 OECD 507,448 kt compare
  2. 2 China 402,662 kt compare
  3. 3 China, mainland 386,535 kt compare
  4. 5 India 141,374 kt compare
  5. 6 Russian Federation 136,096 kt compare
  6. 6 Russia 136,096 kt compare

See the full ranking of 265 places →

More climate change data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is waste — emissions (co2eq) in United States?
Waste — emissions (co2eq) in United States was 147,890 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 245,141 kt in 1989.
What is the lowest waste — emissions (co2eq) recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 135,179 kt in 2012.
How does United States rank for waste — emissions (co2eq)?
United States ranks 4th out of 232 countries with data for 2023.
Is waste — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States 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 United States. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 21 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/waste-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/united-states/

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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
265 places, 15,268 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