Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in United States
United States: Per capita nitrous oxide emissions was 0.6936 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in United States, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita nitrous oxide emissions in United States stood at 0.6936 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita nitrous oxide emissions in United States peaked at 1.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1969 and was at its lowest, 0.6467 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1933.
United States ranks 30th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 175 years of available data.
Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | — |
| 1851 | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 1852 | 1.31 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1853 | 1.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1854 | 1.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1855 | 1.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1856 | 1.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1857 | 1.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1858 | 1.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1859 | 1.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1860 | 1.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1861 | 1.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1862 | 1.09 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1863 | 1.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1864 | 1.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1865 | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1866 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1867 | 0.989 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1868 | 0.9705 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1869 | 0.9526 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1870 | 0.9354 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1871 | 0.9268 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1872 | 0.9318 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1873 | 0.9465 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1874 | 0.967 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.2% |
| 1875 | 0.9901 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.4% |
| 1876 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.3% |
| 1877 | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 1878 | 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1879 | 1.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1880 | 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1881 | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 1882 | 1.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 1883 | 1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1884 | 0.989 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1885 | 0.9736 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1886 | 0.9582 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1887 | 0.943 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1888 | 0.9283 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1889 | 0.915 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1890 | 0.9319 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 1891 | 0.9219 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1892 | 0.9129 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.0% |
| 1893 | 0.9048 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1894 | 0.8971 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1895 | 0.8895 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1896 | 0.8822 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1897 | 0.875 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1898 | 0.8679 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1899 | 0.8608 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1900 | 0.8537 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1901 | 0.847 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1902 | 0.8409 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1903 | 0.8352 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1904 | 0.8297 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1905 | 0.8244 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1906 | 0.8189 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1907 | 0.8131 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1908 | 0.8069 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1909 | 0.801 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1910 | 0.7951 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1911 | 0.7907 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1912 | 0.7885 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1913 | 0.788 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1914 | 0.7879 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.7878 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.7872 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1917 | 0.7855 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1918 | 0.7822 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1919 | 0.777 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1920 | 0.7696 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.0% |
| 1921 | 0.7599 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 1922 | 0.7486 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1923 | 0.736 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.7% |
| 1924 | 0.7227 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1925 | 0.7091 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1926 | 0.6957 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1927 | 0.6827 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1928 | 0.6707 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1929 | 0.661 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1930 | 0.6538 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1931 | 0.6492 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.7% |
| 1932 | 0.6469 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1933 | 0.6467 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.6475 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1935 | 0.649 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1936 | 0.6511 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1937 | 0.6536 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1938 | 0.6563 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1939 | 0.6581 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1940 | 0.6588 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1941 | 0.6691 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1942 | 0.6962 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.1% |
| 1943 | 0.7353 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.6% |
| 1944 | 0.7823 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.4% |
| 1945 | 0.8328 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.5% |
| 1946 | 0.8826 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.0% |
| 1947 | 0.9276 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.1% |
| 1948 | 0.9641 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.9% |
| 1949 | 0.9877 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1950 | 0.9569 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1951 | 0.9581 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1952 | 0.9631 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 0.9711 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 0.9813 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1955 | 0.9931 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.2% |
| 1956 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1957 | 1.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 1.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1960 | 1.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 1.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.7% |
| 1962 | 1.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 1.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.0% |
| 1964 | 1.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 1.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 1.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.2% |
| 1967 | 1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.6% |
| 1968 | 1.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 1.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 1.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 1.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.1% |
| 1977 | 1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 1.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 1.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 1.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.3% |
| 1981 | 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 1.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.6% |
| 1983 | 1.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 1.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 1.11 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 1.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 1.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 0.9896 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.3% |
| 1991 | 0.9642 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 0.9817 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 0.9811 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 0.994 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 0.9951 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 0.9807 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 0.9647 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 0.9536 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.9201 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 0.8976 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 0.9096 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 0.8992 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.8852 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.8897 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.8826 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.8353 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 0.812 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 0.8242 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 0.8149 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 0.7881 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 0.7942 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.7814 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.7655 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 0.7631 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 0.7437 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 0.7438 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.7238 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 0.711 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 0.7069 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 0.6981 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 0.6936 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 0.6936 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3904 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 1.8× the median. (67 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9526 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.9836 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9268 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.9806 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.915 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.8944 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8608 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9319 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.8271 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.801 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8537 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.787 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.777 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7951 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7156 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.661 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7696 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.6512 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6467 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6581 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8137 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6588 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9877 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.9932 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9569 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9866 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9642 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8885 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.812 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9536 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7743 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7238 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8242 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7059 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6936 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 27 Norway 0.749 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 28 Belgium 0.7138 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 29 Poland 0.6987 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 31 Zambia 0.6678 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 32 Guyana 0.6455 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 33 Czechia 0.6233 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
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 nitrous oxide emissions in United States?
- Per capita nitrous oxide emissions in United States was 0.6936 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita nitrous oxide emissions recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1969.
- What is the lowest per capita nitrous oxide emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6467 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1933.
- How does United States rank for per capita nitrous oxide emissions?
- United States ranks 30th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita nitrous oxide emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.