Methane emissions by sector in United States
United States: Methane emissions by sector was 860,000 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Methane emissions by sector in United States, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, methane emissions by sector in United States stood at 860,000 tonnes.
The figure is down 20.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions by sector in United States peaked at 2.90 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 350,000 tonnes, in 2001.
United States ranks 20th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.48 million tonnes | 1.02 million tonnes | 2.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 990,000 tonnes | 350,000 tonnes | 2.43 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 969,000 tonnes | 550,000 tonnes | 1.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.71 million tonnes | 860,000 tonnes | 2.90 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions by sector in United States?
- Methane emissions by sector in United States was 860,000 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2.90 million tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest methane emissions by sector recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 350,000 tonnes in 2001.
- How does United States rank for methane emissions by sector?
- United States ranks 20th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions by sector rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.