Methane is emitted from both anthropogenic (human-caused) and natural sources. Around a third of total methane emissions stem from wetlands. These sites are estimated to release almost 200 million metric tons of methane to the atmosphere per year. The agriculture sector is the largest emitter in terms of human-caused methane, followed by the energy sector.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is believed to be responsible for around 30 percent of all human-caused global warming observed since the Industrial Revolution.
Total methane emissions worldwide as of 2023, by source
(in million metric tons)
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Energy sector emissions are from the Global Methane Tracker for 2023; non-energy sector emissions are the average of estimates available from UNFCCC, CAIT, EDGAR and CEDS for 2019, 2020 or 2022. Natural sources and biomass burning are top-down median estimates and bottom-up median estimates respectively from the Global Methane Budget for 2017.
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IEA. (March 8, 2024). Total methane emissions worldwide as of 2023, by source (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 26, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1423661/global-sources-of-methane-emissions/
IEA. "Total methane emissions worldwide as of 2023, by source (in million metric tons)." Chart. March 8, 2024. Statista. Accessed April 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1423661/global-sources-of-methane-emissions/
IEA. (2024). Total methane emissions worldwide as of 2023, by source (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1423661/global-sources-of-methane-emissions/
IEA. "Total Methane Emissions Worldwide as of 2023, by Source (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 8 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1423661/global-sources-of-methane-emissions/
IEA, Total methane emissions worldwide as of 2023, by source (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1423661/global-sources-of-methane-emissions/ (last visited April 26, 2025)
Total methane emissions worldwide as of 2023, by source (in million metric tons) [Graph], IEA, March 8, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1423661/global-sources-of-methane-emissions/
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