Tonne-kilometers of air freight in United States
United States: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 42.76 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in United States, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tonne-kilometers of air freight in United States is 42.76 billion million ton-km, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in United States peaked at 46.00 billion million ton-km in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.15 billion million ton-km, in 1970.
United States ranks 1st of 180 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.07 billion million ton-km | 5.15 billion million ton-km | 8.66 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.59 billion million ton-km | 8.30 billion million ton-km | 14.65 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.02 billion million ton-km | 14.49 billion million ton-km | 27.29 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.16 billion million ton-km | 27.92 billion million ton-km | 40.62 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.70 billion million ton-km | 37.11 billion million ton-km | 42.99 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.88 billion million ton-km | 40.79 billion million ton-km | 46.00 billion million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143.86 2010 = 100 (2024)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in United States?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in United States was 42.76 billion million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 46.00 billion million ton-km in 2021.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.15 billion million ton-km in 1970.
- How does United States rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- United States ranks 1st out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.