North America · High income · 2023

United States: large EDGAR inventory · 5,969 MtCO₂e

In 2023, United States emitted 5,969 MtCO₂e (17.77 t per person, 0.22 t per $1K GDP) - transport led at 29% and carbon dioxide dominated the gas mix at 78%. EU EDGAR v8.0, excludes land use.

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Corpus placement

United States's absolute footprint (#2 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks far lower at #39 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total.

#2 / 51
Absolute Mt rank
#6 / 51
Per-capita rank
#39 / 51
GDP intensity rank

According to EU EDGAR v8.0 totals, World Bank population, and GDP denominators at 2023. Excludes LULUCF.

C-
Emissions Performance Score
54/100
United States · 2023 EDGAR data

Based on per-capita emissions, GDP intensity, methane share, and the multi-year emissions trend, benchmarked against the 51-country EDGAR corpus, not a judgment of policy effort, development stage, or overall climate risk. See the benchmark table and methodology.

Per-capita emissions F
17.77 t/person
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ population, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
GDP intensity B
0.22 t/$1K GDP
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ GDP, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
Methane share B-
14%
Share of the gas mix that is CH4 (AR6 GWP100 ≈ 27.9× CO2, short-lived but potent)
Emissions trend B
+5%
Change from the first to the latest EDGAR-tracked year for this country

EDGAR inventory roll

Roll USA · 2023 5,969 Mt · 17.77 t per person

United States sits in the upper absolute-Mt tercile among 51 tracked EDGAR economies (5,969 Mt in 2023) - absolute, per-capita, and GDP-intensity ranks on one roll.

  • ABS 5,969 Mt
  • PC 17.77 t
  • INT 0.22
  • RANK-A #2 / 51
  • RANK-P #6 / 51
  • RANK-I #39 / 51
  • SECTOR 29% Transport
  • GAS 78% Carbon
  • PHOTO India
  • BOOK 51 econ

Photo-finish absolute-Mt peer: India (4,143 Mt · Δ 1,826 Mt vs United States)

Absolute-Mt neighbourhood

2023 EDGAR totals · nearest inventories to United States

1. United States6.0k2. India4.1k3. Russia2.7k4. Brazil1.3k5. Indonesia1.2k

Year-to-year inventory change

What changed between 2022 and 2023

2022 → 2023
  • United States's EDGAR greenhouse-gas total fell from 6,055 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 5,969 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −85.6 MtCO₂e (−1.4%).
  • United States's methane total rose from 805 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 819.1 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of +14.1 MtCO₂e (+1.7%).
  • United States's transport total rose from 1,725 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 1,737 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of +11.5 MtCO₂e (+0.7%).

Arithmetic differences between two inventory years in one stored EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, not a second source release, a forecast, or a policy verdict.

Trends Inventory CSV

United States's absolute footprint (#2 of 51) in 2023 outweighs how carbon-intensive its economy actually is — GDP intensity ranks far lower at #39 / 51, so scale, not inefficiency, drives the total. How we place countries.

United States vs all tracked economies by EDGAR greenhouse-gas total

Where United States's 2023 EDGAR MtCO₂e sits among every tracked economy with live rows (inventory mass, not per-capita responsibility)

5,969 Top 4% more MtCO₂e than 96% of 51 economies

Tracked economies, banded by EDGAR MtCO₂e (AR6 GWP100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more economies. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EU EDGAR v8.0 · 2023

United States 2023 emissions by IPCC sector

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Transport1.7k2. Energy1.7k3. Industry8864. Buildings6105. Fugitive emissions4596. Agriculture4097. Waste147
0%100%29%
Transport share of 2023 total

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) EDGAR GHG · 2023

United States emissions trend (1970–2023, MtCO₂e)

Annual greenhouse-gas totals, EU EDGAR v8.0

5,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,500 197019771984199119982005201220192023 5,969
Reported annual emissions for United States, 1970 to 2023 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

Data from EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release)

Source: EU EDGAR (Joint Research Centre) As of 1970–2023

United States 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Carbon dioxide4.7k2. Methane819.13. Fluorinated gases250.64. Nitrous oxide217.7

Scale versus efficiency

Absolute inventory signature

United States's absolute inventory is the standout: 5,969 MtCO₂e puts it in the upper Mt tercile among tracked EDGAR economies (≥524.6 Mt).

United States's 5,969 MtCO₂e total in 2023 ranks #2 of 51 economies by absolute scale, but its GDP intensity ranks far lower at #39 — the total is driven more by the size of the economy than by how carbon-intensive each dollar of output is.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) Country totals (AR6 GWP100, excl. LULUCF) Country figures for USA exclude LULUCF; verify policy-critical totals against the Joint Research Centre EDGAR country table.

Other North America economies in EDGAR

Methodology

United States (USA) is in the upper third of live EDGAR country mass (5,969 MtCO₂e in 2023). Rows are aggregated from EU EDGAR v8.0 by IPCC sector and gas for 2023, excluding LULUCF. See the methodology page for GWP100 factors and the full pipeline. Full methodology.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) 2024 Global bottom-up inventory, CC BY 4.0.

FAQ

How much CO₂-equivalent did United States emit in 2023?

United States's 2023 total is 5,969 MtCO₂e per EU EDGAR v8.0 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

How do United States's absolute and per-capita ranks compare?

United States ranks #2 of 51 by absolute total and #6 by per-capita emissions in 2023, with GDP intensity at #39.

Which sector dominates United States's emissions?

Transport led at 29% of the 2023 national total (5,969 MtCO₂e).

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Data vintage: EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release), 2023 data year. Country emissions summed from EDGAR records for the focal year; LULUCF excluded on ranked surfaces.