Per capita methane emissions in Australia
Australia: Per capita methane emissions was 5.08 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5.08
Change on year
down 4.9%
World rank
9th
of 199 countries
All-time high
12.17
in 1976
All-time low
5.08
in 2024
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita methane emissions in Australia, 1850–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 5.08 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 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 5.08, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 5.53 | — |
| 1851 | 5.93 | +7.3% |
| 1852 | 6.22 | +4.8% |
| 1853 | 6.39 | +2.8% |
| 1854 | 6.5 | +1.7% |
| 1855 | 6.56 | +0.9% |
| 1856 | 6.57 | +0.2% |
| 1857 | 6.54 | -0.4% |
| 1858 | 6.48 | -0.9% |
| 1859 | 6.47 | -0.2% |
| 1860 | 6.48 | +0.2% |
| 1861 | 6.54 | +1.0% |
| 1862 | 6.58 | +0.6% |
| 1863 | 6.71 | +1.9% |
| 1864 | 6.8 | +1.3% |
| 1865 | 6.92 | +1.8% |
| 1866 | 7.05 | +1.8% |
| 1867 | 7.15 | +1.4% |
| 1868 | 7.17 | +0.3% |
| 1869 | 7.24 | +0.9% |
| 1870 | 7.29 | +0.8% |
| 1871 | 7.35 | +0.8% |
| 1872 | 7.41 | +0.7% |
| 1873 | 7.49 | +1.1% |
| 1874 | 7.54 | +0.7% |
| 1875 | 7.58 | +0.5% |
| 1876 | 7.64 | +0.7% |
| 1877 | 7.69 | +0.7% |
| 1878 | 7.72 | +0.3% |
| 1879 | 7.78 | +0.8% |
| 1880 | 7.85 | +0.9% |
| 1881 | 7.86 | +0.2% |
| 1882 | 7.93 | +0.8% |
| 1883 | 7.98 | +0.7% |
| 1884 | 7.99 | +0.2% |
| 1885 | 8.01 | +0.2% |
| 1886 | 7.99 | -0.3% |
| 1887 | 7.97 | -0.2% |
| 1888 | 7.98 | +0.1% |
| 1889 | 7.95 | -0.4% |
| 1890 | 7.96 | +0.1% |
| 1891 | 7.95 | -0.0% |
| 1892 | 7.94 | -0.1% |
| 1893 | 7.93 | -0.2% |
| 1894 | 7.95 | +0.3% |
| 1895 | 7.96 | +0.1% |
| 1896 | 7.95 | -0.2% |
| 1897 | 7.97 | +0.3% |
| 1898 | 8 | +0.4% |
| 1899 | 7.99 | -0.1% |
| 1900 | 8.28 | +3.6% |
| 1901 | 8.36 | +0.9% |
| 1902 | 8.36 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | 8.34 | -0.2% |
| 1904 | 8.36 | +0.2% |
| 1905 | 8.38 | +0.3% |
| 1906 | 8.52 | +1.6% |
| 1907 | 8.57 | +0.7% |
| 1908 | 8.64 | +0.8% |
| 1909 | 8.48 | -1.8% |
| 1910 | 8.63 | +1.8% |
| 1911 | 8.74 | +1.3% |
| 1912 | 8.83 | +0.9% |
| 1913 | 8.9 | +0.8% |
| 1914 | 8.98 | +0.9% |
| 1915 | 8.8 | -2.0% |
| 1916 | 8.64 | -1.9% |
| 1917 | 8.68 | +0.5% |
| 1918 | 8.75 | +0.8% |
| 1919 | 8.65 | -1.1% |
| 1920 | 8.81 | +1.8% |
| 1921 | 8.65 | -1.8% |
| 1922 | 8.67 | +0.3% |
| 1923 | 8.67 | -0.1% |
| 1924 | 8.73 | +0.8% |
| 1925 | 8.75 | +0.2% |
| 1926 | 8.7 | -0.6% |
| 1927 | 8.7 | +0.1% |
| 1928 | 8.53 | -1.9% |
| 1929 | 8.4 | -1.5% |
| 1930 | 8.33 | -0.9% |
| 1931 | 8.22 | -1.3% |
| 1932 | 8.25 | +0.4% |
| 1933 | 8.32 | +0.8% |
| 1934 | 8.37 | +0.7% |
| 1935 | 8.48 | +1.3% |
| 1936 | 8.61 | +1.5% |
| 1937 | 8.74 | +1.5% |
| 1938 | 8.77 | +0.4% |
| 1939 | 8.97 | +2.2% |
| 1940 | 8.88 | -0.9% |
| 1941 | 9.16 | +3.2% |
| 1942 | 9.3 | +1.5% |
| 1943 | 9.3 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | 9.32 | +0.2% |
| 1945 | 9.3 | -0.2% |
| 1946 | 9.43 | +1.4% |
| 1947 | 9.55 | +1.3% |
| 1948 | 9.59 | +0.5% |
| 1949 | 9.59 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | 9.87 | +2.9% |
| 1951 | 9.97 | +1.0% |
| 1952 | 10.03 | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 10.1 | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 10.26 | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 10.3 | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 10.34 | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 10.39 | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 10.48 | +0.8% |
| 1959 | 10.63 | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 10.72 | +0.9% |
| 1961 | 10.75 | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 10.92 | +1.6% |
| 1963 | 10.98 | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 11.15 | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 11.22 | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 10.73 | -4.4% |
| 1967 | 10.93 | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 11.07 | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 11.35 | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 11.18 | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 10.6 | -5.1% |
| 1972 | 12.01 | +13.2% |
| 1973 | 10.59 | -11.8% |
| 1974 | 10.93 | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 11.29 | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 12.17 | +7.8% |
| 1977 | 11.75 | -3.5% |
| 1978 | 10.18 | -13.4% |
| 1979 | 11.05 | +8.5% |
| 1980 | 11.15 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 9.39 | -15.8% |
| 1982 | 10.42 | +11.0% |
| 1983 | 9.27 | -11.1% |
| 1984 | 9.4 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 10.66 | +13.4% |
| 1986 | 9.83 | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 8.99 | -8.6% |
| 1988 | 8.71 | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 9.01 | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 9.56 | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 9.48 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 9.29 | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 9.07 | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 8.95 | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 8.84 | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 8.35 | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 8.33 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 8.45 | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 9.16 | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 9.68 | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 10.19 | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 9.73 | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 7.43 | -23.6% |
| 2004 | 8.4 | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 7.34 | -12.7% |
| 2006 | 8.16 | +11.2% |
| 2007 | 7.9 | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 6.91 | -12.6% |
| 2009 | 6.96 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 6.4 | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 8.62 | +34.7% |
| 2012 | 8.51 | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 6.61 | -22.3% |
| 2014 | 6.96 | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 6.73 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 5.88 | -12.7% |
| 2017 | 6.73 | +14.6% |
| 2018 | 6.69 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.05 | -9.5% |
| 2020 | 5.25 | -13.2% |
| 2021 | 5.42 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 5.32 | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 5.34 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 5.08 | -4.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 5.08 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.02, 5.0× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Australia's 5.08 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.82, 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 | 8.62 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 6.32 | 5.53 | 6.57 | 10 |
| 1860s | 6.86 | 6.48 | 7.24 | 10 |
| 1870s | 7.55 | 7.29 | 7.78 | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.95 | 7.85 | 8.01 | 10 |
| 1890s | 7.96 | 7.93 | 8 | 10 |
| 1900s | 8.43 | 8.28 | 8.64 | 10 |
| 1910s | 8.76 | 8.63 | 8.98 | 10 |
| 1920s | 8.66 | 8.4 | 8.81 | 10 |
| 1930s | 8.51 | 8.22 | 8.97 | 10 |
| 1940s | 9.34 | 8.88 | 9.59 | 10 |
| 1950s | 10.24 | 9.87 | 10.63 | 10 |
| 1960s | 10.98 | 10.72 | 11.35 | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.18 | 10.18 | 12.17 | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.68 | 8.71 | 11.15 | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.95 | 8.33 | 9.56 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.27 | 6.91 | 10.19 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.92 | 5.88 | 8.62 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.28 | 5.08 | 5.42 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita methane emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.17 in 1976.
- What is the lowest per capita methane emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.08 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 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).