Methane emissions in United States
United States: Methane emissions was 818.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
818.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
3rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
924.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1980
All-time low
71.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Methane emissions in United States, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
United States recorded 818.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for methane emissions in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions in United States peaked at 924.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1980 and was at its lowest, 71.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
That places United States 3rd 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 | 81.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 71.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 91.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 102.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 94.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 112.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 124.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 113.95 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 135.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 152.77 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 139.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 167.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 184.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 172.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 203.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 244.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 208.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 276.45 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 313.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 288.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 351.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 359.09 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 319.68 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 386.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 348.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 317.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 375.14 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 454.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 385.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 510.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 578.33 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 519.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 648.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 775.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 670.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 898.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 905.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 890.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 917.97 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 895.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 876.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 924.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 847.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 809.28 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 866.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 779.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 757.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 810.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 759.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 733.37 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 799.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 797.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 761.17 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 819.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane emissions in United States?
- Methane emissions in United States was 818.35 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 924.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1980.
- What is the lowest methane emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does United States rank for methane emissions?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane emissions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States 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.