Methane emissions from agriculture in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Methane emissions from agriculture was 5.41 million tonnes in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
5.41 million tonnes
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
87th
of 193 countries
All-time high
5.99 million tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
3.95 million tonnes
in 2004
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in Sri Lanka, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, methane emissions from agriculture in Sri Lanka stood at 5.41 million tonnes.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.99 million tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 3.95 million tonnes, in 2004.
That places Sri Lanka 87th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.99 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 5.40 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 1992 | 5.53 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 5.66 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 5.90 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 5.83 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 5.06 million tonnes | -13.2% |
| 1997 | 5.02 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 4.13 million tonnes | -17.7% |
| 1999 | 4.47 million tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2000 | 4.27 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 4.05 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 4.16 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 4.47 million tonnes | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 3.95 million tonnes | -11.6% |
| 2005 | 4.58 million tonnes | +15.9% |
| 2006 | 4.57 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 4.33 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 5.04 million tonnes | +16.4% |
| 2009 | 4.74 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 5.21 million tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 5.29 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 5.31 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 5.57 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 4.48 million tonnes | -19.6% |
| 2015 | 5.47 million tonnes | +22.1% |
| 2016 | 5.03 million tonnes | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 4.06 million tonnes | -19.3% |
| 2018 | 4.98 million tonnes | +22.7% |
| 2019 | 4.68 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 5.09 million tonnes | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 5.33 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 5.27 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 5.41 million tonnes | +2.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 5.41 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.53 million tonnes, 1.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 5.41 million tonnes is below the median for South Asia, which is 10.97 million tonnes, 49% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.30 million tonnes | 4.13 million tonnes | 5.99 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.42 million tonnes | 3.95 million tonnes | 5.04 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.01 million tonnes | 4.06 million tonnes | 5.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.28 million tonnes | 5.09 million tonnes | 5.41 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in Sri Lanka?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Sri Lanka was 5.41 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.99 million tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.95 million tonnes in 2004.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Sri Lanka ranks 87th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.