Per capita GHG emissions in United States
United States: Per capita GHG emissions was 17.74 tons/capita in 2018. ▼ Falling
Per capita GHG emissions in United States, 1990–2018
Source: Climate Watch. 2020. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at: https://www.climatewatchdata.org. Measured in tons/capita.
Analysis
United States recorded 17.74 tons/capita for per capita ghg emissions in 2018.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita ghg emissions in United States peaked at 22.95 tons/capita in 1997 and was at its lowest, 17.27 tons/capita, in 2017.
United States ranks 18th of 188 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Per capita GHG emissions in United States, year by year
| Year | tons/capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 22.21 tons/capita | — |
| 1991 | 21.75 tons/capita | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 21.77 tons/capita | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 21.9 tons/capita | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 21.98 tons/capita | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 21.95 tons/capita | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 22.31 tons/capita | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 22.95 tons/capita | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 22.82 tons/capita | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 22.55 tons/capita | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 22.85 tons/capita | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 22.48 tons/capita | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 21.72 tons/capita | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 21.74 tons/capita | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 21.81 tons/capita | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 21.66 tons/capita | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 21.14 tons/capita | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 21.24 tons/capita | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 20.45 tons/capita | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 18.89 tons/capita | -7.6% |
| 2010 | 19.53 tons/capita | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 18.61 tons/capita | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 17.69 tons/capita | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 18.01 tons/capita | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 17.94 tons/capita | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 17.42 tons/capita | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 17.58 tons/capita | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 17.27 tons/capita | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 17.74 tons/capita | +2.7% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 17.74 tons/capita is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.25 tons/capita, 1.9× the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.22 tons/capita | 21.75 tons/capita | 22.95 tons/capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.4 tons/capita | 18.89 tons/capita | 22.85 tons/capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.98 tons/capita | 17.27 tons/capita | 19.53 tons/capita | 9 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita ghg emissions in United States?
- Per capita ghg emissions in United States was 17.74 tons/capita in 2018, according to Climate Watch. 2020. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at: https://www.climatewatchdata.org.
- What is the highest per capita ghg emissions recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 22.95 tons/capita in 1997.
- What is the lowest per capita ghg emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.27 tons/capita in 2017.
- How does United States rank for per capita ghg emissions?
- United States ranks 18th out of 188 countries with data for 2018.
- Is per capita ghg emissions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch. 2020. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at: https://www.climatewatchdata.org, published as part of Per capita GHG emissions (tons/capita). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions are generated from the World Resource Institute's Climate Watch. Climate Watch Historical Emission data contains sector-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data for 194 countries and the European Union (EU) for the period 1990-2018, including emissions of the six major GHGs from most major sources and sinks. Non-CO2 emissions are expressed in CO2 equivalents using 100-year global warming potential values from IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. Climate Watch Historical GHG Emissions data (previously published through CAIT Climate Data Explorer) are derived from several sources. Any use of the Land-Use Change and Forestry or Agriculture indicator should be cited as FAO 2020, FAOSTAT Emissions Database. Any use of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion data should be cited as CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion, OECD/IEA, 2020.