Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste (Mt CO2e) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste (Mt CO2e) was 3.78 Mt CO2e in 2024. ▲ Rising
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste in New Zealand, 1970–2024
Source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission. Measured in Mt CO2e.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 3.78 Mt CO2e for methane (ch4) emissions from waste in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane (ch4) emissions from waste in New Zealand peaked at 4.93 Mt CO2e in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3.57 Mt CO2e, in 1970.
That places New Zealand 68th 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 (Mt CO2e) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Mt CO2e | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.57 Mt CO2e | — |
| 1971 | 3.63 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 3.7 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 3.79 Mt CO2e | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 3.86 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 3.93 Mt CO2e | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 3.97 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 3.98 Mt CO2e | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 4 Mt CO2e | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 4 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 4.02 Mt CO2e | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 4.06 Mt CO2e | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 4.08 Mt CO2e | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 4.09 Mt CO2e | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 4.12 Mt CO2e | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 4.15 Mt CO2e | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 4.17 Mt CO2e | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 4.2 Mt CO2e | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 4.14 Mt CO2e | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 4.08 Mt CO2e | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 4.26 Mt CO2e | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 4.4 Mt CO2e | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 4.48 Mt CO2e | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 4.61 Mt CO2e | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 4.55 Mt CO2e | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 4.67 Mt CO2e | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 4.76 Mt CO2e | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 4.79 Mt CO2e | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 4.8 Mt CO2e | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 4.82 Mt CO2e | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 4.87 Mt CO2e | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 4.89 Mt CO2e | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 4.93 Mt CO2e | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 4.81 Mt CO2e | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 4.86 Mt CO2e | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 4.84 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 4.69 Mt CO2e | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 4.69 Mt CO2e | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4.64 Mt CO2e | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 4.55 Mt CO2e | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 4.5 Mt CO2e | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 4.39 Mt CO2e | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 4.31 Mt CO2e | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 4.26 Mt CO2e | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 4.25 Mt CO2e | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 4.22 Mt CO2e | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 4.19 Mt CO2e | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 4.14 Mt CO2e | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 4.07 Mt CO2e | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 4.02 Mt CO2e | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 3.95 Mt CO2e | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 3.88 Mt CO2e | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 3.84 Mt CO2e | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 3.8 Mt CO2e | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 3.78 Mt CO2e | -0.7% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 3.78 Mt CO2e is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.45 Mt CO2e, 2.6× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 3.78 Mt CO2e is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.373 Mt CO2e, 10.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.84 Mt CO2e | 3.57 Mt CO2e | 4 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.11 Mt CO2e | 4.02 Mt CO2e | 4.2 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.62 Mt CO2e | 4.26 Mt CO2e | 4.82 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.78 Mt CO2e | 4.55 Mt CO2e | 4.93 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.23 Mt CO2e | 4.02 Mt CO2e | 4.5 Mt CO2e | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.85 Mt CO2e | 3.78 Mt CO2e | 3.95 Mt CO2e | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More environment data for New Zealand
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate -2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 1.63 hectares per person (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.2131 Percentage change (2025)
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- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.379 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.23 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 33.62 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 11.46 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is methane (ch4) emissions from waste in New Zealand?
- Methane (ch4) emissions from waste in New Zealand was 3.78 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 4.93 Mt CO2e in 2002.
- What is the lowest methane (ch4) emissions from waste recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.57 Mt CO2e in 1970.
- How does New Zealand rank for methane (ch4) emissions from waste?
- New Zealand ranks 68th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane (ch4) emissions from waste rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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).