Share of global methane emissions in China
China: Share of global methane emissions was 16.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of global methane emissions in China, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of global methane emissions in China is 16.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global methane emissions in China peaked at 20.4% in 1850 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 1963.
China ranks 1st of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 175 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 19.1% | 17.8% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 1860s | 16.6% | 15.8% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 1870s | 15.2% | 14.8% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 1880s | 14.2% | 13.7% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 1890s | 13.3% | 12.9% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1900s | 12.5% | 12.2% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 1910s | 12.2% | 11.9% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 1920s | 12.1% | 11.5% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 1930s | 11.3% | 10.8% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 1940s | 10.2% | 9.5% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 1950s | 9.5% | 9.1% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.4% | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.1% | 9.7% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.1% | 10.5% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.3% | 11.8% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.6% | 12.6% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 14.8% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 15.5% | 16.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More climate change data for China
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 6.2% (2100)
- Population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 1.41 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Urban population 933.17 million (2025)
- Urban population 66.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 285.09 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 8.66 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of global methane emissions in China?
- Share of global methane emissions in China was 16.5% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 1850.
- What is the lowest share of global methane emissions recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 1963.
- How does China rank for share of global methane emissions?
- China ranks 1st out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global methane emissions rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.