Per capita methane emissions in Australia
Australia: Per capita methane emissions was 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 4.9%
World rank
9th
of 199 countries
All-time high
12.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1976
All-time low
5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita methane emissions in Australia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
Australia recorded 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person for per capita methane emissions in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 175 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita methane emissions in Australia peaked at 12.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1976 and was at its lowest, 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 2024.
That places Australia 9th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.
Per capita methane emissions in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 5.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | — |
| 1851 | 5.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.3% |
| 1852 | 6.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.8% |
| 1853 | 6.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.8% |
| 1854 | 6.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.7% |
| 1855 | 6.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1856 | 6.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1857 | 6.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1858 | 6.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1859 | 6.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1860 | 6.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1861 | 6.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1862 | 6.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1863 | 6.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 1864 | 6.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1865 | 6.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.8% |
| 1866 | 7.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.8% |
| 1867 | 7.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1868 | 7.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1869 | 7.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1870 | 7.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1871 | 7.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1872 | 7.41 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1873 | 7.49 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.1% |
| 1874 | 7.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1875 | 7.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1876 | 7.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1877 | 7.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1878 | 7.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1879 | 7.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1880 | 7.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1881 | 7.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1882 | 7.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1883 | 7.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1884 | 7.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1885 | 8.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1886 | 7.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1887 | 7.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1888 | 7.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1889 | 7.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1890 | 7.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1891 | 7.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1892 | 7.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1893 | 7.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1894 | 7.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1895 | 7.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1896 | 7.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1897 | 7.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1898 | 8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1899 | 7.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1900 | 8.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.6% |
| 1901 | 8.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1902 | 8.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1903 | 8.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1904 | 8.36 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1905 | 8.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1906 | 8.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1907 | 8.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1908 | 8.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1909 | 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1910 | 8.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.8% |
| 1911 | 8.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1912 | 8.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1913 | 8.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1914 | 8.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1915 | 8.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1916 | 8.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1917 | 8.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1918 | 8.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1919 | 8.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1920 | 8.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.8% |
| 1921 | 8.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1922 | 8.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1923 | 8.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 1924 | 8.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1925 | 8.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1926 | 8.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1927 | 8.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1928 | 8.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1929 | 8.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1930 | 8.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1931 | 8.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 1932 | 8.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1933 | 8.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1934 | 8.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1935 | 8.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1936 | 8.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1937 | 8.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1938 | 8.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1939 | 8.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.2% |
| 1940 | 8.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1941 | 9.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.2% |
| 1942 | 9.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1943 | 9.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1944 | 9.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1945 | 9.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1946 | 9.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1947 | 9.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1948 | 9.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1949 | 9.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1950 | 9.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.9% |
| 1951 | 9.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1952 | 10.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 10.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 10.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 10.3 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 10.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 10.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 10.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.8% |
| 1959 | 10.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 10.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1961 | 10.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 10.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1963 | 10.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 11.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 11.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 10.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.4% |
| 1967 | 10.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 11.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 11.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 11.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 10.6 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.1% |
| 1972 | 12.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +13.2% |
| 1973 | 10.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.8% |
| 1974 | 10.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 11.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 12.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.8% |
| 1977 | 11.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 1978 | 10.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -13.4% |
| 1979 | 11.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.5% |
| 1980 | 11.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 9.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -15.8% |
| 1982 | 10.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +11.0% |
| 1983 | 9.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.1% |
| 1984 | 9.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 10.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +13.4% |
| 1986 | 9.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 8.99 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.6% |
| 1988 | 8.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 9.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 9.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 9.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 9.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 9.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 8.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 8.84 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 8.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 8.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 8.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 9.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 9.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 10.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 9.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 7.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -23.6% |
| 2004 | 8.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 7.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -12.7% |
| 2006 | 8.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +11.2% |
| 2007 | 7.9 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 6.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -12.6% |
| 2009 | 6.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 6.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 8.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +34.7% |
| 2012 | 8.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 6.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -22.3% |
| 2014 | 6.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 6.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 5.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -12.7% |
| 2017 | 6.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +14.6% |
| 2018 | 6.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.5% |
| 2020 | 5.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -13.2% |
| 2021 | 5.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 5.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 5.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 5.0× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Australia's 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 6.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita methane emissions in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +34.7% | 6.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 6.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 6.86 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 7.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.29 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.78 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 7.96 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 7.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 8.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 8.76 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 8.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.4 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 8.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.97 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 9.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 10.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 10.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.18 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.95 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 9.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.91 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 6 New Zealand 6.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 7 Oman 6.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 8 Gabon 5.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 10 Guyana 4.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 11 Botswana 4.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 12 Libya 3.82 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita methane emissions in Australia?
- Per capita methane emissions in Australia was 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita methane emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1976.
- What is the lowest per capita methane emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024.
- How does Australia rank for per capita methane emissions?
- Australia ranks 9th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita methane emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita 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 per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.