Brazil vs United States: Share of global methane emissions

Brazil
6.3%
in 2024
United States
8.5%
in 2024
Brazil rank
4th
United States rank
3rd

Share of global methane emissions over time

  • Brazil
  • United States
051015185019372024

How they compare

United States currently reports 8.5% against 6.3% in Brazil, a difference of 2.2%.

That makes United States's figure about 1.4 times Brazil's.

Across all 175 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

Brazil ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 18 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil United States Difference Ahead
1850s 1.2% 6.3% 5.1% United States
1860s 1.3% 7.4% 6.1% United States
1870s 1.4% 8.4% 7.0% United States
1880s 1.5% 9.3% 7.8% United States
1890s 1.6% 10.1% 8.5% United States
1900s 1.8% 11.8% 10.0% United States
1910s 2.2% 13.6% 11.5% United States
1920s 2.7% 14.3% 11.6% United States
1930s 2.8% 12.4% 9.6% United States
1940s 2.8% 13.6% 10.9% United States
1950s 2.9% 13.8% 10.9% United States
1960s 3.1% 14.3% 11.2% United States
1970s 3.7% 13.9% 10.2% United States
1980s 4.9% 12.8% 7.9% United States
1990s 5.4% 11.3% 5.9% United States
2000s 6.2% 9.8% 3.6% United States
2010s 6.1% 8.7% 2.5% United States
2020s 6.2% 8.5% 2.3% United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of global methane emissions, Brazil or United States?
United States, at 8.5% against 6.3% in Brazil as of 2024.
What is the difference in share of global methane emissions between Brazil and United States?
2.2%, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and United States?
175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
How do Brazil and United States rank globally for share of global methane emissions?
Brazil ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 201 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global methane emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of global methane emissions
Unit
%
Source
Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
201 places, 35,175 data points, 1850–2024
Last refreshed

Measured as a percentage of the world's methane emissions.