Methane emissions by sector in United States
United States: Methane emissions by sector was 860,000 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Methane emissions by sector in United States, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, methane emissions by sector in United States stood at 860,000.
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 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 350,000, 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.
Methane emissions by sector in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.21 million | — |
| 1991 | 1.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.21 million | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2.16 million | +78.5% |
| 1997 | 1.02 million | -52.8% |
| 1998 | 2.04 million | +100.0% |
| 1999 | 2.36 million | +15.7% |
| 2000 | 2.43 million | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 350,000 | -85.6% |
| 2002 | 880,000 | +151.4% |
| 2003 | 890,000 | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 800,000 | -10.1% |
| 2005 | 650,000 | -18.8% |
| 2006 | 730,000 | +12.3% |
| 2007 | 1.18 million | +61.6% |
| 2008 | 1.28 million | +8.5% |
| 2009 | 710,000 | -44.5% |
| 2010 | 550,000 | -22.5% |
| 2011 | 870,000 | +58.2% |
| 2012 | 750,000 | -13.8% |
| 2013 | 850,000 | +13.3% |
| 2014 | 830,000 | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 1.54 million | +85.5% |
| 2016 | 800,000 | -48.1% |
| 2017 | 1.46 million | +82.5% |
| 2018 | 1.36 million | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 680,000 | -50.0% |
| 2020 | 2.90 million | +326.5% |
| 2021 | 2.01 million | -30.7% |
| 2022 | 1.08 million | -46.3% |
| 2023 | 860,000 | -20.4% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions by sector in United States 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +326.5% | 680,000 | 2.90 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.48 million | 1.02 million | 2.36 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 990,000 | 350,000 | 2.43 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 969,000 | 550,000 | 1.54 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.71 million | 860,000 | 2.90 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 274,482 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60,922 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 213,560 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 229.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7,627 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 107,381 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 89,068 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 18,313 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 336.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 654.05 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions by sector in United States?
- Methane emissions by sector in United States was 860,000 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions by sector recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2.90 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest methane emissions by sector recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 350,000 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 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).