Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste in Australia
Australia: Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste was 15.7 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▼ Falling
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste in Australia, 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 waste in Australia is 15.7 Mt CO2e, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane (ch4) emissions from waste in Australia peaked at 19.21 Mt CO2e in 1990 and was at its lowest, 14.7 Mt CO2e, in 1970.
Australia ranks 24th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste in Australia, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 14.7 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 14.96 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 15.22 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 15.42 Mt CO2e | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 15.63 Mt CO2e | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 15.84 Mt CO2e | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 16.09 Mt CO2e | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 16.3 Mt CO2e | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 16.49 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 16.67 Mt CO2e | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 16.83 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 17.03 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 17.25 Mt CO2e | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 17.46 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 17.66 Mt CO2e | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 17.9 Mt CO2e | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 18.16 Mt CO2e | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 18.44 Mt CO2e | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 18.72 Mt CO2e | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 18.95 Mt CO2e | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 19.21 Mt CO2e | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 19.16 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 18.92 Mt CO2e | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 18.85 Mt CO2e | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 18.21 Mt CO2e | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 18.3 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 16.88 Mt CO2e | -7.7% |
| 1997 | 16.79 Mt CO2e | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 16.23 Mt CO2e | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 16.21 Mt CO2e | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 16.02 Mt CO2e | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 16.14 Mt CO2e | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 16.44 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 15.8 Mt CO2e | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 15.54 Mt CO2e | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 15.51 Mt CO2e | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 15.45 Mt CO2e | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 15.71 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 16.14 Mt CO2e | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 16.09 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 16.33 Mt CO2e | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 16.13 Mt CO2e | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 15.45 Mt CO2e | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 15.11 Mt CO2e | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 15.14 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 15.16 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 14.93 Mt CO2e | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 15.04 Mt CO2e | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 14.87 Mt CO2e | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 15.21 Mt CO2e | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 15.25 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 15.2 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 15.47 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 15.55 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 15.7 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 15.7 Mt CO2e is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.45 Mt CO2e, 10.8× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Australia's 15.7 Mt CO2e is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.373 Mt CO2e, 42.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.73 Mt CO2e | 14.7 Mt CO2e | 16.67 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.84 Mt CO2e | 16.83 Mt CO2e | 18.95 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.87 Mt CO2e | 16.21 Mt CO2e | 19.21 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.88 Mt CO2e | 15.45 Mt CO2e | 16.44 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.34 Mt CO2e | 14.87 Mt CO2e | 16.33 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.44 Mt CO2e | 15.2 Mt CO2e | 15.7 Mt CO2e | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % 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 0.0861 % 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 waste in Australia?
- Methane (ch4) emissions from waste in Australia was 15.7 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 waste recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.21 Mt CO2e in 1990.
- What is the lowest methane (ch4) emissions from waste recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.7 Mt CO2e in 1970.
- How does Australia rank for methane (ch4) emissions from waste?
- Australia ranks 24th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane (ch4) emissions from waste rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 Waste (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 waste sector. This includes emissions from solid waste (IPCC 2006 codes 4.A Solid Waste Disposal, 4.B Biological Treatment of Solid Waste, 4.C Incineration and Open Burning of Waste) and wastewater treatment (IPCC 2006 code 4.D Wastewater Treatment and Discharge). The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).