Methane emissions from agriculture in Kenya
Kenya: Methane emissions from agriculture was 36.25 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Methane emissions from agriculture in Kenya, 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 Kenya is 36.25 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 9.1% on the previous year and up 25.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Kenya peaked at 41.73 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.98 million tonnes, in 2001.
Kenya ranks 23rd of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Kenya, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 18.51 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 17.68 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 1992 | 17.54 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 17.41 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 17.45 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 17.32 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 16.20 million tonnes | -6.5% |
| 1997 | 16.15 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 16.46 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 17.62 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2000 | 16.05 million tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2001 | 15.98 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 16.76 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 17.94 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2004 | 19.23 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 18.52 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 18.07 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 29.94 million tonnes | +65.7% |
| 2008 | 30.36 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 28.96 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 29.07 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 29.82 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 29.49 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 28.88 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 29.28 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 29.70 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 32.41 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 29.95 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 31.15 million tonnes | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 36.38 million tonnes | +16.8% |
| 2020 | 41.73 million tonnes | +14.7% |
| 2021 | 37.20 million tonnes | -10.9% |
| 2022 | 33.24 million tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2023 | 36.25 million tonnes | +9.1% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 36.25 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.09 million tonnes, 5.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 36.25 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.62 million tonnes, 4.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions from agriculture in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +65.7% | 18.07 million tonnes | 29.94 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.23 million tonnes | 16.15 million tonnes | 18.51 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.18 million tonnes | 15.98 million tonnes | 30.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.61 million tonnes | 28.88 million tonnes | 36.38 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.10 million tonnes | 33.24 million tonnes | 41.73 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More climate change data for Kenya
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 276.34 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 50,641 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,186 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,454 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 61.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,231 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,372 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 255.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.99 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in Kenya?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Kenya was 36.25 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 41.73 million tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.98 million tonnes in 2001.
- How does Kenya rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Kenya ranks 23rd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.