Methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Methane emissions from agriculture was 12.25 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan stood at 12.25 million tonnes.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan peaked at 12.92 million tonnes in 2011 and was at its lowest, 6.00 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places Afghanistan 58th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.00 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 6.28 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 6.35 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 6.40 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 6.64 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 6.99 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 7.88 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 1997 | 8.64 million tonnes | +9.6% |
| 1998 | 9.21 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 1999 | 10.07 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 2000 | 8.64 million tonnes | -14.2% |
| 2001 | 7.19 million tonnes | -16.8% |
| 2002 | 9.18 million tonnes | +27.7% |
| 2003 | 9.43 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 9.34 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 9.52 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 9.69 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 9.85 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 10.98 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 2009 | 11.19 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 12.90 million tonnes | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 12.92 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 12.74 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 12.64 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 12.85 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 12.13 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 11.89 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 11.54 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 11.78 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 11.87 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 12.01 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 12.03 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 12.12 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 12.25 million tonnes | +1.1% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 12.25 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 10.28 million tonnes, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 12.25 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.08 million tonnes, 5.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +27.7% | 7.19 million tonnes | 9.18 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.45 million tonnes | 6.00 million tonnes | 10.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.50 million tonnes | 7.19 million tonnes | 11.19 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.33 million tonnes | 11.54 million tonnes | 12.92 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.10 million tonnes | 12.01 million tonnes | 12.25 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 55 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.60 million tonnes compare
- 56 Netherlands 12.66 million tonnes compare
- 57 Zambia 12.55 million tonnes compare
- 59 Egypt 12.16 million tonnes compare
- 60 South Korea 10.82 million tonnes compare
- 61 Mozambique 10.28 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Afghanistan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 79.22 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23,854 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,965 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 17,889 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 22.51 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 638.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,345 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,090 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,255 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.11 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Afghanistan was 12.25 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 12.92 million tonnes in 2011.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.00 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does Afghanistan rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Afghanistan ranks 58th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Methane emissions from agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.