Share of global methane emissions in United States
United States: Share of global methane emissions was 8.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of global methane emissions in United States, 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 United States is 8.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of global methane emissions in United States peaked at 15.0% in 1923 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1850.
United States ranks 3rd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 6.3% | 5.6% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1860s | 7.4% | 7.0% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 1870s | 8.4% | 8.0% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 1880s | 9.3% | 8.9% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 1890s | 10.1% | 9.9% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 1900s | 11.8% | 10.7% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 1910s | 13.6% | 12.9% | 14.8% | 10 |
| 1920s | 14.3% | 13.4% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 12.4% | 11.7% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1940s | 13.6% | 12.4% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 1950s | 13.8% | 13.5% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 14.3% | 13.6% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.9% | 13.1% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.8% | 11.9% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.3% | 10.7% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 9.4% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 8.4% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.5% | 8.4% | 8.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of global methane emissions in United States?
- Share of global methane emissions in United States was 8.5% 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 15.0% in 1923.
- What is the lowest share of global methane emissions recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1850.
- How does United States rank for share of global methane emissions?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of global methane emissions rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.