Methane emissions from agriculture in China
China: Methane emissions from agriculture was 396.71 million tonnes in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
396.71 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
3rd
of 193 countries
All-time high
433.19 million tonnes
in 1996
All-time low
364.43 million tonnes
in 2019
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in China, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
China recorded 396.71 million tonnes for methane emissions from agriculture in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in China peaked at 433.19 million tonnes in 1996 and was at its lowest, 364.43 million tonnes, in 2019.
That places China 3rd out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Methane emissions from agriculture in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 377.36 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 382.13 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 382.26 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 379.38 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 387.91 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 410.19 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 433.19 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 391.71 million tonnes | -9.6% |
| 1998 | 410.95 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 418.75 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 417.64 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 406.05 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 395.76 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 385.80 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 395.75 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 399.18 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 397.38 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 387.45 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 393.04 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 391.07 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 388.68 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 383.34 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 380.83 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 380.07 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 380.72 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 382.34 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 382.55 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 375.96 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 374.32 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 364.43 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 381.84 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 390.95 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 396.24 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 396.71 million tonnes | +0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 396.71 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.53 million tonnes, 112.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 396.71 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.39 million tonnes, 166.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 397.38 million tonnes | 377.36 million tonnes | 433.19 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 396.91 million tonnes | 385.80 million tonnes | 417.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 379.32 million tonnes | 364.43 million tonnes | 388.68 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 391.44 million tonnes | 381.84 million tonnes | 396.71 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More climate change data for China
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 31.25 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 604,831 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 191,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 413,353 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 722.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 342,069 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 200,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 141,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 757 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in China?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in China was 396.71 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 433.19 million tonnes in 1996.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 364.43 million tonnes in 2019.
- How does China rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- China ranks 3rd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China 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.