Methane emissions in China
China: Methane emissions was 1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
1st
of 199 countries
All-time high
1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
All-time low
220.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1870
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Methane emissions in China, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for methane emissions in China is 1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions in China peaked at 1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 and was at its lowest, 220.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1870.
That places China 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 243.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 233.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 253.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 226.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 221.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 231.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 222.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 220.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 225.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 229.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 226.18 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 232.81 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 239.07 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 233.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 244.61 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 253.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 245.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 261.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 275.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 262.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 289.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 298.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 293.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 303.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 315.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 304.56 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 324.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 333.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 327.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 338.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 392.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 338.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 493.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 495.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 452.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 541.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 649.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 586.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 708.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 767.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 708.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 850.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 910.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 867.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 970.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.08 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 950.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.20 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.32 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.24 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.37 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.50 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.40 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More climate change data for China
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 6.2% (2100)
- Population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 1.41 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Urban population 933.17 million (2025)
- Urban population 66.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 285.09 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions in China?
- Methane emissions in China was 1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.59 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024.
- What is the lowest methane emissions recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 220.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1870.
- How does China rank for methane emissions?
- China ranks 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane emissions rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Methane emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.