Methane emissions from agriculture in France
France: Methane emissions from agriculture was 41.76 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
41.76 million tonnes
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
22nd
of 193 countries
All-time high
56.44 million tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
41.76 million tonnes
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in France, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for methane emissions from agriculture in France is 41.76 million tonnes, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in France peaked at 56.44 million tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 41.76 million tonnes, in 2023.
That places France 22nd out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in France, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 56.44 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 54.84 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 53.61 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 53.02 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 53.04 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 52.99 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 52.80 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 52.03 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 51.63 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 51.51 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 53.90 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 53.78 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 52.40 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 50.79 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 50.14 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 49.77 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 49.63 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 50.22 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 50.43 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 49.76 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 49.17 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 48.05 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 47.76 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 47.92 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 48.09 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 48.17 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 47.96 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 47.17 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 46.60 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 45.65 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 44.77 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 43.61 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 42.50 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 41.76 million tonnes | -1.7% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 41.76 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.42 million tonnes, 17.3× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- France's 41.76 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.70 million tonnes, 11.3× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.19 million tonnes | 51.51 million tonnes | 56.44 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.08 million tonnes | 49.63 million tonnes | 53.90 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.65 million tonnes | 45.65 million tonnes | 49.17 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.16 million tonnes | 41.76 million tonnes | 44.77 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More climate change data for France
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 2.23 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 55,837 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,820 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 44,017 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,572 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 16,983 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,451 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 532.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 62.08 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in France?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in France was 41.76 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 56.44 million tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.76 million tonnes in 2023.
- How does France rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- France ranks 22nd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.