Methane emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Methane emissions by sector was 11.88 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
11.88 million tonnes
Change on year
down 6.3%
World rank
2nd
of 193 countries
All-time high
27.56 million tonnes
in 1998
All-time low
10.36 million tonnes
in 2001
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo is 11.88 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 6.3% on the previous year and down 34.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 27.56 million tonnes in 1998 and was at its lowest, 10.36 million tonnes, in 2001.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 2nd of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.61 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 17.61 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 17.61 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 17.61 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 17.61 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 17.61 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 21.29 million tonnes | +20.9% |
| 1997 | 26.83 million tonnes | +26.0% |
| 1998 | 27.56 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 22.57 million tonnes | -18.1% |
| 2000 | 19.98 million tonnes | -11.5% |
| 2001 | 10.36 million tonnes | -48.1% |
| 2002 | 15.25 million tonnes | +47.2% |
| 2003 | 17.50 million tonnes | +14.8% |
| 2004 | 18.47 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 18.35 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 18.61 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 15.61 million tonnes | -16.1% |
| 2008 | 17.61 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 2009 | 17.42 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 18.57 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 19.93 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2012 | 18.38 million tonnes | -7.8% |
| 2013 | 18.06 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 16.55 million tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2015 | 17.37 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 17.27 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 17.52 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 14.94 million tonnes | -14.7% |
| 2019 | 16.73 million tonnes | +12.0% |
| 2020 | 16.17 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 15.13 million tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 12.68 million tonnes | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 11.88 million tonnes | -6.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 11.88 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,000 tonnes, 1188.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.39 million tonnes | 17.61 million tonnes | 27.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.92 million tonnes | 10.36 million tonnes | 19.98 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.53 million tonnes | 14.94 million tonnes | 19.93 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.96 million tonnes | 11.88 million tonnes | 16.17 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 1 Indonesia 67.34 million tonnes compare
- 3 Central African Republic 8.44 million tonnes compare
- 4 Zambia 8.02 million tonnes compare
- 5 Mozambique 7.58 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8778 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.05 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 4.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.4511 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 28.16 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Methane emissions by sector in Democratic Republic of Congo was 11.88 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions by sector recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 27.56 million tonnes in 1998.
- What is the lowest methane emissions by sector recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.36 million tonnes in 2001.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for methane emissions by sector?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 2nd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions by sector rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Methane emissions by sector. 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.