Methane emissions in Iceland
Iceland: Methane emissions was 556,822 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
556,822 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
165th
of 199 countries
All-time high
686,446 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2018
All-time low
73,321 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Methane emissions in Iceland, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 556,822 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for methane emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions in Iceland peaked at 686,446 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2018 and was at its lowest, 73,321 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
Iceland ranks 165th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 | 77,117 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 73,321 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 80,875 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 82,052 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 81,716 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 82,384 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 82,782 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 82,462 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 83,091 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 83,415 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 83,157 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 83,668 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 84,079 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 83,759 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 84,402 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 84,747 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 84,474 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 85,030 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 122,902 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 85,079 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 160,733 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 180,740 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 169,159 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 192,343 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 209,214 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 194,932 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 226,370 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 266,623 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 230,872 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 306,496 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 382,674 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 318,616 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 457,959 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 531,625 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 476,958 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 580,404 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 608,486 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 559,136 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 632,954 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 598,176 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 585,123 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 613,139 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 595,973 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 571,310 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 622,500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 637,942 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 610,402 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 676,847 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 631,990 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 578,872 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 686,446 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 587,529 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 556,822 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 606,127 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More climate change data for Iceland
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 392,404 (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population 369,715 (2025)
- Urban population 94.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 171.69 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions in Iceland?
- Methane emissions in Iceland was 556,822 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 686,446 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2018.
- What is the lowest methane emissions recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 73,321 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does Iceland rank for methane emissions?
- Iceland ranks 165th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane emissions rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland 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.