Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture in China
China: Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture was 498.98 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▲ Rising
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture in China, 1970–2024
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in Mt CO2e.
Analysis
In 2024, methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in China stood at 498.98 Mt CO2e.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in China peaked at 540.8 Mt CO2e in 1996 and was at its lowest, 403.72 Mt CO2e, in 1970.
China ranks 2nd of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture in China, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 403.72 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 427.33 Mt CO2e | +5.8% |
| 1972 | 432.5 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 440.16 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 446.38 Mt CO2e | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 449.71 Mt CO2e | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 454.11 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 449.11 Mt CO2e | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 448.26 Mt CO2e | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 451.53 Mt CO2e | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 453.94 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 452.96 Mt CO2e | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 462.87 Mt CO2e | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 472.33 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 478 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 471.5 Mt CO2e | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 486.25 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 498.91 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 502.36 Mt CO2e | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 524.95 Mt CO2e | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 540.24 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 532.93 Mt CO2e | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 523.94 Mt CO2e | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 506.39 Mt CO2e | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 505.3 Mt CO2e | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 522.85 Mt CO2e | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 540.8 Mt CO2e | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 490.92 Mt CO2e | -9.2% |
| 1998 | 510.12 Mt CO2e | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 518.24 Mt CO2e | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 513.08 Mt CO2e | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 497.27 Mt CO2e | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 485.18 Mt CO2e | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 469.42 Mt CO2e | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 487.5 Mt CO2e | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 488 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 488.42 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 480.18 Mt CO2e | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 489.46 Mt CO2e | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 488.62 Mt CO2e | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 486.75 Mt CO2e | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 483.74 Mt CO2e | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 483.38 Mt CO2e | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 483.2 Mt CO2e | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 484.94 Mt CO2e | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 487.39 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 488.19 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 481.19 Mt CO2e | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 478.81 Mt CO2e | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 465.56 Mt CO2e | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 475.71 Mt CO2e | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 480.22 Mt CO2e | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 477.15 Mt CO2e | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 500.24 Mt CO2e | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 498.98 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 498.98 Mt CO2e is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.97 Mt CO2e, 167.8× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- China's 498.98 Mt CO2e is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1832 Mt CO2e, 2723.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 440.28 Mt CO2e | 403.72 Mt CO2e | 454.11 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 480.41 Mt CO2e | 452.96 Mt CO2e | 524.95 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 519.17 Mt CO2e | 490.92 Mt CO2e | 540.8 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 488.71 Mt CO2e | 469.42 Mt CO2e | 513.08 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 482.32 Mt CO2e | 465.56 Mt CO2e | 488.19 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 486.46 Mt CO2e | 475.71 Mt CO2e | 500.24 Mt CO2e | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0.9037 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in China?
- Methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in China was 498.98 Mt CO2e in 2024, according to EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission.
- What is the highest methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 540.8 Mt CO2e in 1996.
- What is the lowest methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 403.72 Mt CO2e in 1970.
- How does China rank for methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture?
- China ranks 2nd out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, published as part of Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
A measure of annual emissions of methane (CH4), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agricultural sector. This includes emissions from livestock (IPCC 2006 codes 3.A.1 (enteric fermentation, 3.a.2 (manure management) and crops (IPCC 2006 codes 3.C.1 Emissions from biomass burning, 3.C.7 Rice cultivations). The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).