Methane Emissions by Country 2024
Key Findings
🏆
China leads in Methane Emissions (million tonnes CO2e) with 1,591 in 2024.
📊
Average Methane Emissions (million tonnes CO2e) in 2024: 332 · median: 154.
↔️
Gap in 2024: China is 16.7× larger than Vietnam.
About This Dataset
Methane Emissions by Country 2024
What this chart shows. The 20 countries that emitted the most methane in 2024, in millions of tonnes of CO2-equivalent over 100 years. China led with 1,591 million tonnes, followed by India with 859 and the United States with 818. The world total was 9,499 million tonnes.
How the data is collected. The figures come from Jones and colleagues' dataset, as published by Our World in Data, and include methane from land use as well as from farming, energy and waste. As a check, the European Commission's EDGAR inventory, which uses its own methods, ranks the same four countries first: China, India, the United States and Brazil.
Background. Methane traps far more heat than CO2 per tonne but breaks down within about a decade, which is why it is converted to CO2-equivalents. Livestock, rice fields, coal mines, oil and gas systems and landfills are the main human sources.
Limits. Methane estimates are less certain than fossil CO2 figures. The two inventories disagree on the next places: here Russia is fifth and Indonesia sixth, while EDGAR puts Indonesia fifth and Russia sixth.
How the data is collected. The figures come from Jones and colleagues' dataset, as published by Our World in Data, and include methane from land use as well as from farming, energy and waste. As a check, the European Commission's EDGAR inventory, which uses its own methods, ranks the same four countries first: China, India, the United States and Brazil.
Background. Methane traps far more heat than CO2 per tonne but breaks down within about a decade, which is why it is converted to CO2-equivalents. Livestock, rice fields, coal mines, oil and gas systems and landfills are the main human sources.
Limits. Methane estimates are less certain than fossil CO2 figures. The two inventories disagree on the next places: here Russia is fifth and Indonesia sixth, while EDGAR puts Indonesia fifth and Russia sixth.
Analysis
China's methane emissions came close to those of India and the United States combined, 87 million tonnes less. Brazil, fourth, emitted 580 million tonnes.
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart
Methodology & source
- Data source
- Jones et al. (2025) via Our World in Data
- Coverage
- 20 entities · 2024 · 20 observations
- Measure
- Methane Emissions (million tonnes CO2e)
- Last updated
- 29 September 2026
- Compiled by
- The ANYSTAT team, from the source above
How the figures are calculated
- Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
- Entities are ranked highest-first on their value in 2024.
An article using this data
The US Has Caused More Global Warming Than Any Other Country: Historical CO2, Methane and Deforestation by Country
Global Carbon Budget and Jones et al. data: the US has emitted 434.9 billion tonnes of fossil CO2 since 1750 and caused 17.65% of global warming; China leads on...
Data Sources & References
All external sources cited in this dataset
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