India vs United States: Emissions of air pollutants
India
9.56 million tonnes
in 2022
United States
9.00 million tonnes
in 2022
India rank
2nd
United States rank
3rd
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- India
- United States
How they compare
India currently reports 9.56 million tonnes against 9.00 million tonnes in United States, a difference of 559,390 tonnes.
That makes India's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was India ahead.
India ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, India averaged higher in 11 and United States in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 30,757 tonnes | 2,945 tonnes | 27,812 tonnes | India |
| 1760s | 31,359 tonnes | 3,469 tonnes | 27,890 tonnes | India |
| 1770s | 31,970 tonnes | 4,113 tonnes | 27,857 tonnes | India |
| 1780s | 32,590 tonnes | 4,915 tonnes | 27,675 tonnes | India |
| 1790s | 33,219 tonnes | 6,223 tonnes | 26,996 tonnes | India |
| 1800s | 34,060 tonnes | 8,742 tonnes | 25,318 tonnes | India |
| 1810s | 35,170 tonnes | 11,940 tonnes | 23,230 tonnes | India |
| 1820s | 36,430 tonnes | 16,407 tonnes | 20,024 tonnes | India |
| 1830s | 38,209 tonnes | 24,789 tonnes | 13,420 tonnes | India |
| 1840s | 40,474 tonnes | 40,067 tonnes | 407.24 tonnes | India |
| 1850s | 43,201 tonnes | 74,373 tonnes | 31,171 tonnes | United States |
| 1860s | 46,821 tonnes | 111,366 tonnes | 64,545 tonnes | United States |
| 1870s | 50,404 tonnes | 222,754 tonnes | 172,350 tonnes | United States |
| 1880s | 63,780 tonnes | 494,759 tonnes | 430,979 tonnes | United States |
| 1890s | 85,044 tonnes | 893,667 tonnes | 808,623 tonnes | United States |
| 1900s | 141,734 tonnes | 1.98 million tonnes | 1.84 million tonnes | United States |
| 1910s | 216,820 tonnes | 3.84 million tonnes | 3.63 million tonnes | United States |
| 1920s | 252,982 tonnes | 7.17 million tonnes | 6.91 million tonnes | United States |
| 1930s | 256,624 tonnes | 8.30 million tonnes | 8.05 million tonnes | United States |
| 1940s | 318,852 tonnes | 12.74 million tonnes | 12.43 million tonnes | United States |
| 1950s | 535,309 tonnes | 15.95 million tonnes | 15.41 million tonnes | United States |
| 1960s | 916,624 tonnes | 21.69 million tonnes | 20.77 million tonnes | United States |
| 1970s | 1.53 million tonnes | 27.89 million tonnes | 26.36 million tonnes | United States |
| 1980s | 2.56 million tonnes | 26.24 million tonnes | 23.67 million tonnes | United States |
| 1990s | 4.54 million tonnes | 25.31 million tonnes | 20.77 million tonnes | United States |
| 2000s | 6.42 million tonnes | 19.27 million tonnes | 12.85 million tonnes | United States |
| 2010s | 9.32 million tonnes | 12.16 million tonnes | 2.84 million tonnes | United States |
| 2020s | 9.18 million tonnes | 8.83 million tonnes | 353,577 tonnes | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, India or United States?
- India, at 9.56 million tonnes against 9.00 million tonnes in United States as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between India and United States?
- 559,390 tonnes, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and United States?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do India and United States rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- India ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are gases that are mainly formed during the burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to NOₓ gases can have negative impacts on respiratory health. NOₓ gases can also lead to the formation of ozone – another air pollutant.