Methane emissions by sector in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Methane emissions by sector was 50,000 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Methane emissions by sector in Papua New Guinea, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 50,000 tonnes for methane emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of down 16.7% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions by sector in Papua New Guinea peaked at 12.15 million tonnes in 1997 and was at its lowest, 10,000 tonnes, in 2001.
Papua New Guinea ranks 45th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Methane emissions by sector in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 530,000 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 530,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 530,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 530,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 530,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 530,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 360,000 tonnes | -32.1% |
| 1997 | 12.15 million tonnes | +3275.0% |
| 1998 | 450,000 tonnes | -96.3% |
| 1999 | 390,000 tonnes | -13.3% |
| 2000 | 270,000 tonnes | -30.8% |
| 2001 | 10,000 tonnes | -96.3% |
| 2002 | 160,000 tonnes | +1500.0% |
| 2003 | 50,000 tonnes | -68.8% |
| 2004 | 300,000 tonnes | +500.0% |
| 2005 | 30,000 tonnes | -90.0% |
| 2006 | 90,000 tonnes | +200.0% |
| 2007 | 20,000 tonnes | -77.8% |
| 2008 | 20,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 30,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2010 | 40,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 2011 | 20,000 tonnes | -50.0% |
| 2012 | 20,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 40,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 2014 | 30,000 tonnes | -25.0% |
| 2015 | 640,000 tonnes | +2033.3% |
| 2016 | 20,000 tonnes | -96.9% |
| 2017 | 30,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2018 | 90,000 tonnes | +200.0% |
| 2019 | 40,000 tonnes | -55.6% |
| 2020 | 20,000 tonnes | -50.0% |
| 2021 | 20,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 60,000 tonnes | +200.0% |
| 2023 | 50,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 50,000 tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10,000 tonnes, 5.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions by sector in Papua New Guinea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +3275.0% | 360,000 tonnes | 12.15 million tonnes |
| 2015 | +2033.3% | 30,000 tonnes | 640,000 tonnes |
| 2002 | +1500.0% | 10,000 tonnes | 160,000 tonnes |
| 2004 | +500.0% | 50,000 tonnes | 300,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.65 million tonnes | 360,000 tonnes | 12.15 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 98,000 tonnes | 10,000 tonnes | 300,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 97,000 tonnes | 20,000 tonnes | 640,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 37,500 tonnes | 20,000 tonnes | 60,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More climate change data for Papua New Guinea
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 18.97 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,290 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 396.23 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,894 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 67.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 108.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 105.81 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.88 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3993 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions by sector in Papua New Guinea?
- Methane emissions by sector in Papua New Guinea was 50,000 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 12.15 million tonnes in 1997.
- What is the lowest methane emissions by sector recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,000 tonnes in 2001.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for methane emissions by sector?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 45th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions by sector rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.