Share of global methane emissions in Australia
Australia: Share of global methane emissions was 1.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.4%
Change on year
down 4.6%
World rank
12th
of 201 countries
All-time high
2.7%
in 1976
All-time low
0.3%
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Share of global methane emissions in Australia, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 1.4% for share of global methane emissions in 2024.
The figure is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global methane emissions in Australia peaked at 2.7% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1850.
Australia ranks 12th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 175 years of available data.
Share of global methane emissions in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 0.3% | — |
| 1851 | 0.3% | +13.9% |
| 1852 | 0.4% | +11.9% |
| 1853 | 0.4% | +10.5% |
| 1854 | 0.4% | +9.0% |
| 1855 | 0.5% | +8.5% |
| 1856 | 0.5% | +7.6% |
| 1857 | 0.5% | +7.2% |
| 1858 | 0.6% | +6.7% |
| 1859 | 0.6% | +5.9% |
| 1860 | 0.6% | +5.2% |
| 1861 | 0.7% | +5.2% |
| 1862 | 0.7% | +4.1% |
| 1863 | 0.7% | +4.0% |
| 1864 | 0.8% | +3.5% |
| 1865 | 0.8% | +4.1% |
| 1866 | 0.8% | +4.0% |
| 1867 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 1868 | 0.9% | +2.8% |
| 1869 | 0.9% | +2.9% |
| 1870 | 0.9% | +2.9% |
| 1871 | 1.0% | +2.3% |
| 1872 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1873 | 1.0% | +2.1% |
| 1874 | 1.0% | +2.5% |
| 1875 | 1.0% | +1.6% |
| 1876 | 1.1% | +2.1% |
| 1877 | 1.1% | +2.1% |
| 1878 | 1.1% | +1.7% |
| 1879 | 1.1% | +2.2% |
| 1880 | 1.1% | +2.1% |
| 1881 | 1.2% | +2.1% |
| 1882 | 1.2% | +2.9% |
| 1883 | 1.2% | +2.9% |
| 1884 | 1.3% | +2.9% |
| 1885 | 1.3% | +3.0% |
| 1886 | 1.3% | +2.4% |
| 1887 | 1.4% | +2.1% |
| 1888 | 1.4% | +2.0% |
| 1889 | 1.4% | +2.0% |
| 1890 | 1.4% | +1.4% |
| 1891 | 1.5% | +1.3% |
| 1892 | 1.5% | +1.3% |
| 1893 | 1.5% | +1.2% |
| 1894 | 1.5% | +1.0% |
| 1895 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 1896 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 1897 | 1.6% | +1.0% |
| 1898 | 1.6% | +1.0% |
| 1899 | 1.6% | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 1.6% | +3.7% |
| 1901 | 1.6% | +1.4% |
| 1902 | 1.7% | +0.7% |
| 1903 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 1904 | 1.7% | +1.0% |
| 1905 | 1.7% | +0.6% |
| 1906 | 1.7% | +1.5% |
| 1907 | 1.7% | -0.2% |
| 1908 | 1.7% | +2.2% |
| 1909 | 1.7% | -1.4% |
| 1910 | 1.8% | +2.1% |
| 1911 | 1.8% | +2.0% |
| 1912 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1913 | 1.8% | +0.9% |
| 1914 | 1.9% | +4.0% |
| 1915 | 1.9% | -0.3% |
| 1916 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 1917 | 1.9% | +1.1% |
| 1918 | 1.9% | +3.1% |
| 1919 | 2.0% | +2.2% |
| 1920 | 2.0% | +0.9% |
| 1921 | 2.0% | +2.0% |
| 1922 | 2.0% | +0.1% |
| 1923 | 2.0% | -1.4% |
| 1924 | 2.0% | +1.5% |
| 1925 | 2.1% | +1.1% |
| 1926 | 2.1% | +0.9% |
| 1927 | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| 1928 | 2.1% | -0.6% |
| 1929 | 2.0% | -1.9% |
| 1930 | 2.0% | +0.5% |
| 1931 | 2.0% | +0.5% |
| 1932 | 2.1% | +1.5% |
| 1933 | 2.1% | -0.1% |
| 1934 | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| 1935 | 2.1% | +0.3% |
| 1936 | 2.0% | -0.4% |
| 1937 | 2.1% | +0.2% |
| 1938 | 2.1% | +1.0% |
| 1939 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 1940 | 2.1% | -1.8% |
| 1941 | 2.1% | +2.6% |
| 1942 | 2.2% | +1.7% |
| 1943 | 2.1% | -0.3% |
| 1944 | 2.2% | +0.4% |
| 1945 | 2.2% | +2.5% |
| 1946 | 2.2% | +0.1% |
| 1947 | 2.2% | -0.3% |
| 1948 | 2.2% | +0.7% |
| 1949 | 2.2% | +0.6% |
| 1950 | 2.3% | +2.3% |
| 1951 | 2.3% | +0.8% |
| 1952 | 2.3% | +1.0% |
| 1953 | 2.3% | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 2.4% | +1.0% |
| 1955 | 2.3% | -1.8% |
| 1956 | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| 1957 | 2.3% | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 2.3% | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 2.3% | -0.7% |
| 1960 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 2.3% | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 2.4% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 2.4% | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 2.3% | -6.0% |
| 1967 | 2.3% | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 2.4% | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 2.4% | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 2.4% | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 2.3% | -2.5% |
| 1972 | 2.6% | +13.6% |
| 1973 | 2.3% | -12.9% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | +4.6% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 2.7% | +7.6% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | -3.8% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | -13.0% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | -12.9% |
| 1982 | 2.4% | +11.9% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | -10.2% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 2.5% | +14.1% |
| 1986 | 2.3% | -7.8% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | -8.3% |
| 1988 | 2.1% | -2.8% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | +7.3% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 2.3% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +9.7% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +6.9% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -25.1% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +12.8% |
| 2005 | 1.9% | -13.4% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +11.5% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -12.0% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | -8.5% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +34.6% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -21.2% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -12.1% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +15.3% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | -9.5% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | -11.6% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 1.4% | -4.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 16.5× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1%, 26.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of global 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 | +34.6% | 1.7% | 2.3% |
| 2003 | -25.1% | 2.6% | 1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.8% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 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 share of global methane emissions in Australia?
- Share of global methane emissions in Australia was 1.4% in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of global methane emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 1976.
- What is the lowest share of global methane emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1850.
- How does Australia rank for share of global methane emissions?
- Australia ranks 12th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global methane emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of global 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 as a percentage of the world's methane emissions.