Methane emissions by sector in Zambia
Zambia: Methane emissions by sector was 8.02 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Methane emissions by sector in Zambia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 8.02 million tonnes for methane emissions by sector in 2023.
The figure is down 14.2% on the previous year and down 37.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions by sector in Zambia peaked at 15.24 million tonnes in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.64 million tonnes, in 2000.
Zambia ranks 4th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions by sector in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.39 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 10.39 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 10.39 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 10.39 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 10.39 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 10.39 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.59 million tonnes | -36.6% |
| 1997 | 6.34 million tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 5.95 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 5.97 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.64 million tonnes | -39.0% |
| 2001 | 6.73 million tonnes | +84.9% |
| 2002 | 6.73 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10.26 million tonnes | +52.5% |
| 2004 | 11.29 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2005 | 11.29 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8.52 million tonnes | -24.5% |
| 2007 | 9.51 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 2008 | 11.23 million tonnes | +18.1% |
| 2009 | 9.80 million tonnes | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 13.45 million tonnes | +37.2% |
| 2011 | 13.59 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 13.32 million tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 12.73 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 12.64 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 15.24 million tonnes | +20.6% |
| 2016 | 14.62 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 15.03 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 13.84 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 13.69 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 11.74 million tonnes | -14.2% |
| 2021 | 10.02 million tonnes | -14.7% |
| 2022 | 9.35 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 8.02 million tonnes | -14.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 8.02 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10,000 tonnes, 802.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 8.02 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,000 tonnes, 802.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane emissions by sector in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +84.9% | 3.64 million tonnes | 6.73 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.72 million tonnes | 5.95 million tonnes | 10.39 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.90 million tonnes | 3.64 million tonnes | 11.29 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.81 million tonnes | 12.64 million tonnes | 15.24 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.78 million tonnes | 8.02 million tonnes | 11.74 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 1 Indonesia 67.34 million tonnes compare
- 2 Democratic Republic of Congo 11.88 million tonnes compare
- 3 Central African Republic 8.44 million tonnes compare
- 5 Mozambique 7.58 million tonnes compare
- 6 Canada 7.47 million tonnes compare
- 7 Myanmar 6.22 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 by sector in Zambia?
- Methane emissions by sector in Zambia was 8.02 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 15.24 million tonnes in 2015.
- What is the lowest methane emissions by sector recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.64 million tonnes in 2000.
- How does Zambia rank for methane emissions by sector?
- Zambia ranks 4th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions by sector rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.0%. 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 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.