Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture in Zambia
Zambia: Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture was 6.39 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▲ Rising
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture in Zambia, 1970–2024
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in Mt CO2e.
Analysis
The most recent figure for methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in Zambia is 6.39 Mt CO2e, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in Zambia peaked at 6.39 Mt CO2e in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.94 Mt CO2e, in 1970.
That places Zambia 80th out of 201 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.94 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 1.98 Mt CO2e | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 2.02 Mt CO2e | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 2.04 Mt CO2e | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 2.04 Mt CO2e | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 2.11 Mt CO2e | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 2.34 Mt CO2e | +11.1% |
| 1977 | 2.42 Mt CO2e | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 2.45 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 2.51 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 2.46 Mt CO2e | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 2.62 Mt CO2e | +6.4% |
| 1982 | 2.79 Mt CO2e | +6.3% |
| 1983 | 2.67 Mt CO2e | -4.0% |
| 1984 | 2.55 Mt CO2e | -4.6% |
| 1985 | 2.86 Mt CO2e | +12.2% |
| 1986 | 2.93 Mt CO2e | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 3.01 Mt CO2e | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 3.09 Mt CO2e | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 3.15 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 3.34 Mt CO2e | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 3.44 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 3.43 Mt CO2e | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 3.23 Mt CO2e | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 2.97 Mt CO2e | -8.0% |
| 1995 | 2.74 Mt CO2e | -7.9% |
| 1996 | 2.58 Mt CO2e | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 3.12 Mt CO2e | +21.0% |
| 1998 | 3.2 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 3.45 Mt CO2e | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 3.19 Mt CO2e | -7.5% |
| 2001 | 3.29 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 3.1 Mt CO2e | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 2.99 Mt CO2e | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 2.99 Mt CO2e | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.24 Mt CO2e | +8.5% |
| 2006 | 3.53 Mt CO2e | +8.8% |
| 2007 | 3.16 Mt CO2e | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 3.02 Mt CO2e | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 3.89 Mt CO2e | +28.7% |
| 2010 | 4.02 Mt CO2e | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 3.43 Mt CO2e | -14.5% |
| 2012 | 4.99 Mt CO2e | +45.2% |
| 2013 | 5.11 Mt CO2e | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 5.21 Mt CO2e | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 5.01 Mt CO2e | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 4.86 Mt CO2e | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 4.97 Mt CO2e | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 4.99 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 5.18 Mt CO2e | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 5.13 Mt CO2e | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 5.53 Mt CO2e | +7.7% |
| 2022 | 6.19 Mt CO2e | +12.0% |
| 2023 | 6.17 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 6.39 Mt CO2e | +3.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 6.39 Mt CO2e is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.82 Mt CO2e, 94% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 6.39 Mt CO2e is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.42 Mt CO2e, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +45.2% | 3.43 Mt CO2e | 4.99 Mt CO2e |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.18 Mt CO2e | 1.94 Mt CO2e | 2.51 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.81 Mt CO2e | 2.46 Mt CO2e | 3.15 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.15 Mt CO2e | 2.58 Mt CO2e | 3.45 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.24 Mt CO2e | 2.99 Mt CO2e | 3.89 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.78 Mt CO2e | 3.43 Mt CO2e | 5.21 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.88 Mt CO2e | 5.13 Mt CO2e | 6.39 Mt CO2e | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More environment data for Zambia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.265 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.11 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.74 % 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 3.49 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in Zambia?
- Methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture in Zambia was 6.39 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.39 Mt CO2e in 2024.
- What is the lowest methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.94 Mt CO2e in 1970.
- How does Zambia rank for methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture?
- Zambia ranks 80th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane (ch4) emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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).