Methane emissions from agriculture in Japan
Japan: Methane emissions from agriculture was 16.04 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
16.04 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
53rd
of 193 countries
All-time high
22.27 million tonnes
in 1994
All-time low
16.04 million tonnes
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in Japan, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Japan recorded 16.04 million tonnes for methane emissions from agriculture in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Japan peaked at 22.27 million tonnes in 1994 and was at its lowest, 16.04 million tonnes, in 2023.
That places Japan 53rd out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Japan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 21.28 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 21.25 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 21.71 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 21.94 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 22.27 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 21.55 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 20.55 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 20.29 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 19.33 million tonnes | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 19.16 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 18.92 million tonnes | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 18.44 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 18.36 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 18.17 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 18.29 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 18.16 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 18.04 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 17.96 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 17.70 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 17.68 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 17.70 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 17.22 million tonnes | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 17.12 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 17.05 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 16.81 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 16.54 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 16.35 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 16.26 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 16.24 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 16.18 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 16.24 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 16.23 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 16.11 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 16.04 million tonnes | -0.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 16.04 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.42 million tonnes, 6.6× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Japan's 16.04 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.39 million tonnes, 6.7× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.93 million tonnes | 19.16 million tonnes | 22.27 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.17 million tonnes | 17.68 million tonnes | 18.92 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.75 million tonnes | 16.18 million tonnes | 17.70 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.16 million tonnes | 16.04 million tonnes | 16.24 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 50 Kazakhstan 16.37 million tonnes compare
- 51 Poland 16.32 million tonnes compare
- 52 Burkina Faso 16.10 million tonnes compare
- 54 Ireland 15.85 million tonnes compare
- 55 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.60 million tonnes compare
- 56 Netherlands 12.66 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Japan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 337.64 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,181 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,633 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 305.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 9,462 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,061 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 9.06 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in Japan?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Japan was 16.04 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 22.27 million tonnes in 1994.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.04 million tonnes in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Japan ranks 53rd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.