Methane emissions from agriculture in Nepal
Nepal: Methane emissions from agriculture was 16.54 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Methane emissions from agriculture in Nepal, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 16.54 million tonnes for methane emissions from agriculture in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.1% on the previous year and down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Nepal peaked at 22.51 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 15.58 million tonnes, in 1991.
Nepal ranks 49th 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 16.11 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 15.58 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 16.17 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 15.95 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 16.80 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 17.30 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 17.49 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 17.68 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 17.94 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 18.07 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 18.06 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 18.31 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 18.45 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 18.76 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 18.95 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 19.24 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 19.16 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 19.86 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 20.19 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 20.41 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 20.81 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 21.26 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 21.26 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 21.73 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 21.48 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 21.27 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 22.06 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 21.85 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 22.21 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 22.31 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 22.48 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 22.51 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 22.38 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 16.54 million tonnes | -26.1% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 16.54 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.09 million tonnes, 2.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 16.54 million tonnes is above the median for South Asia, which is 10.97 million tonnes, 1.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions from agriculture in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -26.1% | 22.38 million tonnes | 16.54 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.91 million tonnes | 15.58 million tonnes | 18.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.14 million tonnes | 18.06 million tonnes | 20.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.62 million tonnes | 20.81 million tonnes | 22.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.98 million tonnes | 16.54 million tonnes | 22.51 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 46 Guinea 18.19 million tonnes compare
- 47 South Africa 18.06 million tonnes compare
- 48 Somalia 18.01 million tonnes compare
- 50 Kazakhstan 16.37 million tonnes compare
- 51 Poland 16.32 million tonnes compare
- 52 Burkina Faso 16.10 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Nepal
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 14.93 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,890 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 19,588 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14.68 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 699.59 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,853 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,263 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,590 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.76 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in Nepal?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Nepal was 16.54 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 22.51 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.58 million tonnes in 1991.
- How does Nepal rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Nepal ranks 49th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.