Per capita methane emissions by sector in Australia
Australia: Per capita methane emissions by sector was 2,100 kilograms per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2,100 kilograms per person
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
15th
of 193 countries
All-time high
2,916 kilograms per person
in 2015
All-time low
1,477 kilograms per person
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Per capita methane emissions by sector in Australia, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
In 2023, per capita methane emissions by sector in Australia stood at 2,100 kilograms per person.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita methane emissions by sector in Australia peaked at 2,916 kilograms per person in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1,477 kilograms per person, in 1990.
That places Australia 15th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita methane emissions by sector in Australia, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,477 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 1,565 kilograms per person | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 1,598 kilograms per person | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 1,632 kilograms per person | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 1,605 kilograms per person | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 1,695 kilograms per person | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 1,706 kilograms per person | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 1,805 kilograms per person | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 1,901 kilograms per person | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 1,905 kilograms per person | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 2,037 kilograms per person | +6.9% |
| 2001 | 2,166 kilograms per person | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 2,172 kilograms per person | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 2,149 kilograms per person | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 2,172 kilograms per person | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 2,282 kilograms per person | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 2,289 kilograms per person | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 2,397 kilograms per person | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 2,358 kilograms per person | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 2,342 kilograms per person | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 2,595 kilograms per person | +10.8% |
| 2011 | 2,422 kilograms per person | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 2,471 kilograms per person | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 2,640 kilograms per person | +6.8% |
| 2014 | 2,829 kilograms per person | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 2,916 kilograms per person | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 2,851 kilograms per person | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 2,720 kilograms per person | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 2,623 kilograms per person | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 2,583 kilograms per person | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 2,434 kilograms per person | -5.8% |
| 2021 | 2,163 kilograms per person | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 2,064 kilograms per person | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 2,100 kilograms per person | +1.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 2,100 kilograms per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 45.5 kilograms per person, 46.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Australia's 2,100 kilograms per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.97 kilograms per person, 263.3× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,689 kilograms per person | 1,477 kilograms per person | 1,905 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,236 kilograms per person | 2,037 kilograms per person | 2,397 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,665 kilograms per person | 2,422 kilograms per person | 2,916 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,190 kilograms per person | 2,064 kilograms per person | 2,434 kilograms per person | 4 |
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 by sector in Australia?
- Per capita methane emissions by sector in Australia was 2,100 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita methane emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2,916 kilograms per person in 2015.
- What is the lowest per capita methane emissions by sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,477 kilograms per person in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for per capita methane emissions by sector?
- Australia ranks 15th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita methane emissions by sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita methane emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalents per person.