Methane emissions from agriculture in India
India: Methane emissions from agriculture was 588.17 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
588.17 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
1st
of 193 countries
All-time high
588.17 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
486.01 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in India, 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 India is 588.17 million tonnes, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in India peaked at 588.17 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 486.01 million tonnes, in 1990.
That places India 1st out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in India, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 486.01 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 490.06 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 492.98 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 496.93 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 499.93 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 501.89 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 505.71 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 506.69 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 511.15 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 512.67 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 511.22 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 513.40 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 503.29 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 509.35 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 514.15 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 526.44 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 533.66 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 544.16 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 549.21 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 538.82 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 542.22 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 546.07 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 542.50 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 547.61 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 548.34 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 549.35 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 553.89 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 556.13 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 560.22 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 561.19 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 571.71 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 577.50 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 584.26 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 588.17 million tonnes | +0.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 588.17 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.09 million tonnes, 83.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 588.17 million tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 10.97 million tonnes, 53.6× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 500.40 million tonnes | 486.01 million tonnes | 512.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 524.37 million tonnes | 503.29 million tonnes | 549.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 550.75 million tonnes | 542.22 million tonnes | 561.19 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 580.41 million tonnes | 571.71 million tonnes | 588.17 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More climate change data for India
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 27.69 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 602,760 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 105,678 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 497,082 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 398.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 17,753 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 279,594 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 176,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 103,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 664.21 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in India?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in India was 588.17 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 588.17 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 486.01 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does India rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- India ranks 1st out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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.