Methane emissions from agriculture in Zambia
Zambia: Methane emissions from agriculture was 12.55 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
12.55 million tonnes
Change on year
down 5.9%
World rank
57th
of 193 countries
All-time high
13.34 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
9.56 million tonnes
in 2000
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 12.55 million tonnes for methane emissions from agriculture in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.9% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Zambia peaked at 13.34 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 9.56 million tonnes, in 2000.
Zambia ranks 57th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.74 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 10.84 million tonnes | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 10.87 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 10.70 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 10.49 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 10.32 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 9.58 million tonnes | -7.2% |
| 1997 | 9.78 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 10.79 million tonnes | +10.3% |
| 1999 | 10.09 million tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 9.56 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 9.71 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 10.83 million tonnes | +11.5% |
| 2003 | 11.74 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 11.53 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 12.20 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 11.10 million tonnes | -9.0% |
| 2007 | 11.35 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 11.33 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 10.64 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2010 | 11.63 million tonnes | +9.3% |
| 2011 | 10.83 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2012 | 12.53 million tonnes | +15.7% |
| 2013 | 12.78 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 12.42 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 12.51 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 12.23 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 11.39 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 11.60 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 12.21 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 11.65 million tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 11.92 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 13.34 million tonnes | +11.9% |
| 2023 | 12.55 million tonnes | -5.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 12.55 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.09 million tonnes, 1.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 12.55 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.62 million tonnes, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.42 million tonnes | 9.58 million tonnes | 10.87 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.00 million tonnes | 9.56 million tonnes | 12.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.01 million tonnes | 10.83 million tonnes | 12.78 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.37 million tonnes | 11.65 million tonnes | 13.34 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 54 Ireland 15.85 million tonnes compare
- 55 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.60 million tonnes compare
- 56 Netherlands 12.66 million tonnes compare
- 58 Afghanistan 12.25 million tonnes compare
- 59 Egypt 12.16 million tonnes compare
- 60 South Korea 10.82 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Zambia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 303.19 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,752 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 169.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,153 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,033 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 120.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.67 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions from agriculture in Zambia?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Zambia was 12.55 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.34 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.56 million tonnes in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Zambia ranks 57th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.