Methane emissions from agriculture in Australia
Australia: Methane emissions from agriculture was 125.30 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
125.30 million tonnes
Change on year
up 58.1%
World rank
6th
of 193 countries
All-time high
141.12 million tonnes
in 2001
All-time low
67.03 million tonnes
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in Australia, 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 Australia stood at 125.30 million tonnes.
That represents a change of up 58.1% on the previous year and up 39.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Australia peaked at 141.12 million tonnes in 2001 and was at its lowest, 67.03 million tonnes, in 2020.
That places Australia 6th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 114.26 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 113.29 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 110.64 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 108.60 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 110.52 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 107.67 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 102.31 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1997 | 102.02 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 105.06 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 121.45 million tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2000 | 131.65 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2001 | 141.12 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 133.30 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2003 | 90.73 million tonnes | -31.9% |
| 2004 | 113.12 million tonnes | +24.7% |
| 2005 | 91.22 million tonnes | -19.4% |
| 2006 | 110.87 million tonnes | +21.5% |
| 2007 | 105.91 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 86.91 million tonnes | -17.9% |
| 2009 | 90.84 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 76.48 million tonnes | -15.8% |
| 2011 | 132.07 million tonnes | +72.7% |
| 2012 | 132.26 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 89.90 million tonnes | -32.0% |
| 2014 | 100.66 million tonnes | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 95.42 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 76.21 million tonnes | -20.1% |
| 2017 | 99.82 million tonnes | +31.0% |
| 2018 | 99.32 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 80.73 million tonnes | -18.7% |
| 2020 | 67.03 million tonnes | -17.0% |
| 2021 | 76.65 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 2022 | 79.24 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 125.30 million tonnes | +58.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 125.30 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.42 million tonnes, 51.8× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Australia's 125.30 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.39 million tonnes, 52.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 109.58 million tonnes | 102.02 million tonnes | 121.45 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 109.57 million tonnes | 86.91 million tonnes | 141.12 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.29 million tonnes | 76.21 million tonnes | 132.26 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.06 million tonnes | 67.03 million tonnes | 125.30 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in Australia?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Australia was 125.30 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 141.12 million tonnes in 2001.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.03 million tonnes in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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.