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.
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
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.6% (2100)
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 21.91 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 10.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 300.84 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
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.