Methane emissions in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Methane emissions was 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
130th
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
All-time low
6,074 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Methane emissions in Hong Kong, 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 Hong Kong is 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions in Hong Kong peaked at 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6,074 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Hong Kong ranks 130th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 | 9,816 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6,074 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13,632 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 18,191 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 14,505 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 21,829 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 26,365 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 22,641 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 30,110 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 34,768 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 30,947 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 38,560 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 46,942 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 39,391 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 54,592 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 70,240 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 56,326 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 84,138 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 100,130 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 87,206 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 112,850 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 126,630 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 115,635 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 137,445 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 213,278 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 140,174 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 287,445 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 369,300 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 305,133 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 454,440 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 717,486 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 483,231 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 998,515 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.38 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.49 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.02 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 4.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
- 127 Costa Rica 5.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 128 Sierra Leone 5.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 129 Trinidad and Tobago 5.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 131 Rwanda 4.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 132 Eritrea 4.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 133 Burundi 4.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for Hong Kong
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth -0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 7.50 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.3% (2025)
- Urban population 7.50 million (2025)
- Urban population 100.0% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.49 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 1.75 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.49 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.49 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions in Hong Kong?
- Methane emissions in Hong Kong was 5.15 million 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 Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 5.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024.
- What is the lowest methane emissions recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,074 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Hong Kong rank for methane emissions?
- Hong Kong ranks 130th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane emissions rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Hong Kong 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.