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EDGAR · Methane Emissions

Methane emissions by country

How much methane does a country release each year?

Of the 207 countries compared in 2025, China had the highest reading, 51,093.377, and Niue had the lowest reading, 0.048. In the middle country the figure was 325.692. Among the 207 countries measured in every edition since 1970, the middle one moved from 148.895 to 325.692.

Part ofEnvironment & Sustainability

Methane emissions · 2025

Context statistic

Highest of 207China

51,093.377

012025 · values only

The highest and the lowest

The three countries with the highest values of 207 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.

  1. 1

    China

    Eastern Asia

    51,093.377

  2. 2

    India

    Southern Asia

    31,300.606

  3. 3

    United States

    Northern America

    29,362.291

Lowest in 2025

  1. Niue0.048
  2. Nauru0.061
  3. Marshall Islands0.115

This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.

Highest on each continent

02Every measured country

Methane emissions on a map

Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.

All regions

Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.

  • 0.048–9.533
  • 12.863–177.357
  • 181.431–491.907
  • 501.614–1,494.402
  • 1,555.092–51,093.377
  • No reading in 2025
  • Asia

    809.555

    the middle country, of 50 measured · 52 members

    China51,093.377

    Macau1.662

    Highest and lowest reading in Asia.

  • Africa

    467.053

    the middle country, of 52 measured · 55 members

    Nigeria6,225.217

    Seychelles2.649

    Highest and lowest reading in Africa.

  • Europe

    313.020

    the middle country, of 39 measured · 49 members

    Russia14,613.596

    Gibraltar0.562

    Highest and lowest reading in Europe.

  • Americas

    160.366

    the middle country, of 45 measured · 48 members

    United States29,362.291

    Anguilla0.140

    Highest and lowest reading in Americas.

  • Oceania

    1.730

    the middle country, of 21 measured · 21 members

    Australia5,027.935

    Niue0.048

    Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.

22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
  • Eastern Asia

    1,141.567

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members

    China51,093.377

    Macau1.662

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.

  • Northern Africa

    1,059.851

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 6 members

    Algeria2,037.192

    Tunisia282.400

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.

  • South-eastern Asia

    1,022.279

    the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members

    Indonesia14,716.726

    Timor-Leste31.960

    Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.

  • South America

    953.339

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members

    Brazil21,983.497

    Suriname32.117

    Highest and lowest reading in South America.

  • Central Asia

    899.493

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Uzbekistan2,309.897

    Kyrgyzstan352.030

    Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.

  • Southern Asia

    846.046

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    India31,300.606

    Maldives6.328

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.

  • Eastern Europe

    548.031

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members

    Russia14,613.596

    Moldova90.573

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.

  • Western Asia

    537.684

    the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members

    Iraq5,189.567

    Cyprus41.777

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.

  • Middle Africa

    501.614

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    Chad2,706.595

    São Tomé and Príncipe2.805

    Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.

  • Eastern Africa

    471.872

    the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members

    Ethiopia4,464.383

    Seychelles2.649

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.

  • Western Europe

    399.414

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members

    France2,283.198

    Luxembourg23.136

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.

  • Western Africa

    385.265

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members

    Nigeria6,225.217

    Cabo Verde6.429

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.

  • Northern Europe

    284.091

    the middle country, of 11 measured · 13 members

    United Kingdom1,822.520

    Faroe Islands1.659

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.

  • Central America

    255.331

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members

    Mexico5,136.158

    Belize9.377

    Highest and lowest reading in Central America.

  • Southern Europe

    143.148

    the middle country, of 11 measured · 17 members

    Italy1,594.956

    Gibraltar0.562

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.

  • Southern Africa

    123.336

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    South Africa2,994.810

    Eswatini58.712

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.

  • Melanesia

    9.533

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Papua New Guinea110.142

    Solomon Islands6.644

    Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.

  • Caribbean

    2.050

    the middle country, of 21 measured · 24 members

    Dominican Republic451.554

    Anguilla0.140

    Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.

  • Micronesia

    0.529

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members

    Micronesia1.730

    Nauru0.061

    Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.

  • Polynesia

    0.307

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members

    Samoa4.664

    Niue0.048

    Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.

  • Australia and New Zealand

    2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.

    Australia5,027.935

    New Zealand1,190.264

    Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.

  • Northern America

    4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.

    United States29,362.291

    Bermuda0.980

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.

03The whole field at once

The spread

207 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 325.692; a quarter are above 1,049.827, and a quarter below 39.914. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.

0.11101001,00010,000Africa52 comparedNigeria: 6,225.217Ethiopia: 4,464.383South Africa: 2,994.810Chad: 2,706.595Kenya: 2,374.577Tanzania: 2,120.900Algeria: 2,037.192Egypt: 1,995.058DR Congo: 1,423.429Uganda: 1,331.756Angola: 1,175.155Niger: 1,103.036Mali: 1,072.749Libya: 1,059.851Morocco: 1,039.802Somalia: 927.898Madagascar: 831.312Cameroon: 771.184Mozambique: 749.260Zambia: 712.762Burkina Faso: 683.281Guinea: 680.991Ghana: 601.493Republic of the Congo: 501.614Côte d’Ivoire: 491.907Zimbabwe: 471.872Gabon: 462.233Senegal: 444.839Malawi: 347.702Mauritania: 325.692Tunisia: 282.400Central African Republic: 277.302Benin: 276.641Namibia: 227.107Rwanda: 199.827Togo: 199.121Sierra Leone: 195.422Burundi: 174.207Eritrea: 150.405Botswana: 123.336Liberia: 115.501Equatorial Guinea: 87.351Guinea-Bissau: 87.055Lesotho: 64.579Eswatini: 58.712Djibouti: 46.438Gambia: 39.773Mauritius: 20.845Comoros: 15.609Cabo Verde: 6.429São Tomé and Príncipe: 2.805Seychelles: 2.649Seychelles 2.649Nigeria 6,225.217Americas45 comparedUnited States: 29,362.291Brazil: 21,983.497Mexico: 5,136.158Argentina: 4,731.511Canada: 4,538.334Colombia: 3,160.653Venezuela: 1,895.477Uruguay: 990.272Paraguay: 957.922Peru: 948.756Bolivia: 942.954Chile: 785.694Ecuador: 730.276Guatemala: 475.762Dominican Republic: 451.554Cuba: 391.364Nicaragua: 375.830Honduras: 339.408Haiti: 298.574Guyana: 185.973Costa Rica: 171.255Panama: 169.442Trinidad and Tobago: 160.366El Salvador: 140.099Puerto Rico: 54.059Suriname: 32.117Jamaica: 30.735Bahamas: 12.863Belize: 9.377Barbados: 6.203Saint Lucia: 2.391Greenland: 2.280Antigua and Barbuda: 2.182Dominica: 2.050Grenada: 2.021Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 1.752Saint Kitts and Nevis: 1.477Cayman Islands: 1.067Aruba: 1.050Bermuda: 0.980United States Virgin Islands: 0.841Montserrat: 0.624British Virgin Islands: 0.473Turks and Caicos Islands: 0.243Anguilla: 0.140Anguilla 0.140United States 29,362.291Asia50 comparedChina: 51,093.377India: 31,300.606Indonesia: 14,716.726Pakistan: 9,197.774Iran: 5,516.235Iraq: 5,189.567Vietnam: 4,227.982Saudi Arabia: 4,052.777Myanmar: 2,828.616Bangladesh: 2,826.119Türkiye: 2,632.548Philippines: 2,615.941Thailand: 2,551.560Uzbekistan: 2,309.897Mongolia: 2,217.280Kazakhstan: 2,216.194Japan: 1,857.805South Korea: 1,555.092Kuwait: 1,348.617United Arab Emirates: 1,201.467Oman: 1,077.145Cambodia: 1,022.279Turkmenistan: 899.493Nepal: 846.046Malaysia: 830.549Bahrain: 788.561Qatar: 751.375North Korea: 728.042Afghanistan: 585.330Taiwan: 553.782Azerbaijan: 537.684Laos: 468.869Yemen: 396.335Israel: 378.113Tajikistan: 358.021Kyrgyzstan: 352.030Sri Lanka: 301.021Jordan: 227.174Syria: 212.226Hong Kong: 174.648Lebanon: 149.863Georgia: 144.580Singapore: 132.575Armenia: 94.456Brunei: 64.859Cyprus: 41.777Bhutan: 40.056Timor-Leste: 31.960Maldives: 6.328Macau: 1.662Macau 1.662China 51,093.377Europe39 comparedRussia: 14,613.596France: 2,283.198Ukraine: 2,007.758Germany: 1,894.131United Kingdom: 1,822.520Italy: 1,594.956Spain: 1,574.106Poland: 1,494.402Belarus: 662.982Romania: 624.711Ireland: 624.379Netherlands: 601.426Czechia: 471.351Finland: 402.062Belgium: 399.414Portugal: 398.678Greece: 392.121Hungary: 369.743Sweden: 323.000Norway: 313.020Denmark: 284.091Austria: 280.358Bulgaria: 264.988Switzerland: 222.631Bosnia and Herzegovina: 181.431Slovakia: 177.357Croatia: 143.148Lithuania: 117.401Slovenia: 94.841Moldova: 90.573Albania: 76.191Latvia: 68.502Estonia: 51.630North Macedonia: 42.846Luxembourg: 23.136Iceland: 15.448Malta: 8.562Faroe Islands: 1.659Gibraltar: 0.562Gibraltar 0.562Russia 14,613.596Oceania21 comparedAustralia: 5,027.935New Zealand: 1,190.264Papua New Guinea: 110.142Fiji: 26.837Vanuatu: 9.533New Caledonia: 7.568Solomon Islands: 6.644Samoa: 4.664Tonga: 3.343French Polynesia: 3.254Micronesia: 1.730Palau: 1.146Kiribati: 1.051Guam: 0.529Cook Islands: 0.307American Samoa: 0.277Northern Mariana Islands: 0.169Tuvalu: 0.158Marshall Islands: 0.115Nauru: 0.061Niue: 0.048Niue 0.048Australia 5,027.935middle country 325.692

Log scale: each gridline is ten times the one before, so countries of very different sizes can be seen on one line.

04All 207 ever measured

Every country

In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. This is a national total, so the largest countries lead — the table orders countries by the size of their farms and fossil-fuel industries, not by how cleanly they run them. Serbia, Montenegro, Sudan and South Sudan are missing because the source reports each pair as a single row.

The raw table

Showing 25 of 207 countries

  1. ChinaEastern Asia51,093.377
  2. IndiaSouthern Asia31,300.606
  3. United StatesNorthern America29,362.291
  4. BrazilSouth America21,983.497
  5. IndonesiaSouth-eastern Asia14,716.726
  6. RussiaEastern Europe14,613.596
  7. PakistanSouthern Asia9,197.774
  8. NigeriaWestern Africa6,225.217
  9. IranSouthern Asia5,516.235
  10. IraqWestern Asia5,189.567
  11. MexicoCentral America5,136.158
  12. AustraliaAustralia and New Zealand5,027.935
  13. ArgentinaSouth America4,731.511
  14. CanadaNorthern America4,538.334
  15. EthiopiaEastern Africa4,464.383
  16. VietnamSouth-eastern Asia4,227.982
  17. Saudi ArabiaWestern Asia4,052.777
  18. ColombiaSouth America3,160.653
  19. South AfricaSouthern Africa2,994.810
  20. MyanmarSouth-eastern Asia2,828.616
  21. BangladeshSouthern Asia2,826.119
  22. ChadMiddle Africa2,706.595
  23. TürkiyeWestern Asia2,632.548
  24. PhilippinesSouth-eastern Asia2,615.941
  25. ThailandSouth-eastern Asia2,551.560

Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.

051970–2025 · 56 reference years

Over time

Each point is one year from 1970, all recalculated in the European Commission's 2026 EDGAR release, so the series is consistent from end to end. The newest years are the most likely to be revised.

2004006008001,000197019771984199119982005201220192025AsiaAfricaEuropeAmericasOceania
  • the middle country
  • the middle half of countries
  • the middle of the 207 countries measured every time
  • each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
YearCountriesMiddle countryMiddle halfMeasured every time
2025207325.69239.914 – 1,049.827325.692
2024207322.90239.428 – 1,035.068322.902
2023207319.26236.165 – 983.498319.262
2022207316.53536.751 – 983.103316.535
2021207313.68836.775 – 972.905313.688
2020207307.40337.500 – 955.070307.403
2019207304.90538.822 – 969.761304.905
2018207305.00037.531 – 938.527305.000
2017207303.95338.120 – 941.893303.953
2016207303.06238.761 – 954.868303.062
2015207304.84237.513 – 926.174304.842
2014207298.95837.743 – 900.569298.958
2013207313.78537.086 – 879.925313.785
2012207304.78036.129 – 873.656304.780
2011207304.24035.891 – 836.969304.240
2010207305.92035.914 – 826.731305.920
2009207292.44335.818 – 813.300292.443
2008207288.86535.467 – 822.290288.865
2007207276.90533.805 – 811.873276.905
2006207273.67533.875 – 834.077273.675
2005207262.80134.959 – 834.468262.801
2004207254.38733.978 – 822.878254.387
2003207247.00432.118 – 813.217247.004
2002207240.61531.952 – 764.644240.615
2001207238.70932.254 – 784.327238.709
2000207234.68131.312 – 778.985234.681
1999207227.63032.816 – 761.455227.630
1998207221.74531.296 – 745.240221.745
1997207215.20231.041 – 746.813215.202
1996207216.33030.910 – 740.643216.330
1995207213.20729.587 – 710.971213.207
1994207207.36328.635 – 722.425207.363
1993207206.32226.159 – 677.819206.322
1992207200.08625.228 – 673.641200.086
1991207203.97224.779 – 676.304203.972
1990207199.17325.339 – 674.843199.173
1989207195.55524.232 – 678.982195.555
1988207193.49424.001 – 657.953193.494
1987207188.78424.510 – 654.895188.784
1986207187.15624.107 – 634.873187.156
1985207187.49123.956 – 652.141187.491
1984207187.44723.322 – 633.089187.447
1983207183.04222.825 – 621.178183.042
1982207176.35822.374 – 617.317176.358
1981207172.11222.044 – 607.213172.112
1980207165.59121.805 – 612.412165.591
1979207161.99622.054 – 603.851161.996
1978207160.31921.237 – 597.614160.319
1977207156.99821.227 – 566.060156.998
1976207155.90220.175 – 554.450155.902
1975207155.44720.112 – 553.696155.447
1974207154.10719.842 – 548.111154.107
1973207156.58719.469 – 536.357156.587
1972207156.41818.549 – 530.304156.418
1971207151.55117.558 – 532.726151.551
1970207148.89517.281 – 535.693148.895

062024 → 2025

Who rose and fell

The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.

Rose most

before → after
  1. United States28,997.768 → 29,362.291+364.523
  2. India31,030.408 → 31,300.606+270.197
  3. China50,885.866 → 51,093.377+207.511
  4. Saudi Arabia3,861.961 → 4,052.777+190.816
  5. Nigeria6,036.574 → 6,225.217+188.643

Fell most

before → after
  1. Brazil22,769.001 → 21,983.497−785.504
  2. Indonesia15,161.225 → 14,716.726−444.498
  3. Ukraine2,121.634 → 2,007.758−113.876
  4. Russia14,700.158 → 14,613.596−86.562
  5. Italy1,651.247 → 1,594.956−56.290

207 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.

07Across every edition

Methane emissions in records

The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.

08The measure

About methane emissions

This is how much methane a country releases in a year — from cattle and other livestock, rice paddies, leaks from oil and gas systems, coal mines, landfills and waste water. Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide: it lasts less long in the air but traps far more heat per tonne.

What the number is: Methane emissions (gigagrams of CH₄).

09Where it fits

Connections

Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.

All statistics

In the Country Index

Context, with no vote

This statistic is published in full under Environment & Sustainability, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.

Environment & SustainabilityWhich statistics vote, and why

Moves with

Where methane emissions is higher, these tend to be higher too.

Moves against

Where methane emissions is higher, these tend to be lower.

Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 312 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.

On the same subject

10Keep reading

Explore further

11Questions

Methane emissions: questions and answers

Which country has the highest methane emissions?

China, at 51,093.377, among the 207 countries compared in 2025.

Which country has the lowest methane emissions?

Niue, at 0.048, among the 207 countries compared in 2025.

How many countries does the Methane Emissions cover?

207 in 2025.

What is the world average methane emissions?

This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 207 compared in 2025, the figure was 325.692.

Is this European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EDGAR)’s own ranking?

No ranking is shown. European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EDGAR) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.

How often is the Methane Emissions published?

This site holds 56 reference years, 1970–2025, all recalculated in European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EDGAR)’s 2026 report on one method — not 56 separate publications.

Where does the data come from, and can I download it?

From European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EDGAR), under CC BY 4.0. From the European Commission Joint Research Centre's own EDGAR database, in gigagrams (thousand tonnes) of methane rather than carbon-dioxide equivalent. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.

12Method

Sources, method and citation

Source

Methane Emissions — European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EDGAR)

From the European Commission Joint Research Centre's own EDGAR database, in gigagrams (thousand tonnes) of methane rather than carbon-dioxide equivalent.

Newest edition

Report year 2025Data year 2025

Cite the source as: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, version EDGAR_2026_GHG (2026), European Commission, Joint Research Centre. Crippa, M., Guizzardi, D., Pagani, F., Banja, M., Ciarlantini, S., et al. (2026). GHG emissions of all world countries – 2026 Report. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. doi:10.2760/7717504.

Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.

The full 2025 table, row for row

How this page reads the numbers

  • No rank or position is shown: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EDGAR) publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
  • This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
  • A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
  • Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.

The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Methane emissions by country: Methane Emissions, data from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (EDGAR). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/methane-emissions

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