Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste in Ghana
Ghana: Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste was 3.3 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▲ Rising
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste in Ghana, 1970–2024
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in Mt CO2e.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 3.3 Mt CO2e for methane (ch4) emissions from waste in 2024. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane (ch4) emissions from waste in Ghana peaked at 3.3 Mt CO2e in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7374 Mt CO2e, in 1970.
That places Ghana 79th out of 203 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 Waste in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.7374 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 0.7863 Mt CO2e | +6.6% |
| 1972 | 0.8236 Mt CO2e | +4.7% |
| 1973 | 0.8615 Mt CO2e | +4.6% |
| 1974 | 0.8983 Mt CO2e | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 0.9326 Mt CO2e | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 0.9628 Mt CO2e | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 0.991 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 1.02 Mt CO2e | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 1.05 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 1.08 Mt CO2e | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 1.11 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 1.15 Mt CO2e | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 1.19 Mt CO2e | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 1.23 Mt CO2e | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 1.27 Mt CO2e | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 1.31 Mt CO2e | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 1.35 Mt CO2e | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 1.38 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 1.42 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 1.45 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.48 Mt CO2e | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 1.52 Mt CO2e | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 1.55 Mt CO2e | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 1.58 Mt CO2e | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 1.61 Mt CO2e | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 1.65 Mt CO2e | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.68 Mt CO2e | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 1.71 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.75 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 1.79 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 1.84 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 1.89 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 1.93 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 1.99 Mt CO2e | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 2.12 Mt CO2e | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 2.18 Mt CO2e | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 2.27 Mt CO2e | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 2.37 Mt CO2e | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 2.47 Mt CO2e | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 2.57 Mt CO2e | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 2.57 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 2.63 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.68 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 2.73 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 2.84 Mt CO2e | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 2.89 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 2.94 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 3 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 3.05 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 3.1 Mt CO2e | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 3.15 Mt CO2e | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 3.2 Mt CO2e | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 3.25 Mt CO2e | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 3.3 Mt CO2e | +1.6% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 3.3 Mt CO2e is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.75 Mt CO2e, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 3.3 Mt CO2e is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.25 Mt CO2e, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9059 Mt CO2e | 0.7374 Mt CO2e | 1.05 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.25 Mt CO2e | 1.08 Mt CO2e | 1.42 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6 Mt CO2e | 1.45 Mt CO2e | 1.75 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.08 Mt CO2e | 1.79 Mt CO2e | 2.47 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.79 Mt CO2e | 2.57 Mt CO2e | 3.05 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2 Mt CO2e | 3.1 Mt CO2e | 3.3 Mt CO2e | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More environment data for Ghana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -13.57 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -11.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.26 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.34 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.72 % 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 0.8796 % 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 Ghana?
- Methane (ch4) emissions from waste in Ghana was 3.3 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3 Mt CO2e in 2024.
- What is the lowest methane (ch4) emissions from waste recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7374 Mt CO2e in 1970.
- How does Ghana rank for methane (ch4) emissions from waste?
- Ghana ranks 79th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane (ch4) emissions from waste rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana 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).