European Union: Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, European Union's methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) fell 1.6% on 2023 (from 2.1 to 2.06).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3.6% and a typical year strayed about 4.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 11.9% in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.9% in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

A measure of annual emissions of methane (CH4), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from electricity and heat generation (subsector of the energy sector) including IPCC 2006 code 1.A.1.a. The measure is standardized to carbon dioxide equivalent values using the Global Warming Potential (GWP) factors of IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (AR5).

Limitations: Global GHG emissions are currently not directly measurable, but approaches for their estimation exist, and numerous sources exist to supply data for this indicator. Reputable scientific organizations produce these data for use for research, policy analysis, climate negotiations, and broader public communications. The estimated accuracy from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes are quite high, as quantities of fossil fuels and other emissive materials (such as cement and steel) produced are well known. For these sectors, emissions estimates are roughly accurate to within 10% when aggregated to the global level and between 4% and 35% at the country level (Crippa et al., 2023).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 55 values

Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0.0035 (2024)
• Algeria — 0.08 (2024)
• Bahrain — 0.05 (2024)
• Djibouti — 0.0002 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0.12 (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 0.31 (2024)
• Iraq — 0.13 (2024)
• Israel — 0.03 (2024)
• Jordan — 0.01 (2024)

More environment data for European Union

• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 16.11% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 17.8% (2025)
• Rural population — 112 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 24.83% (2025)
• Urban population — 339.13 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 75.17% (2025)
• Electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output) — 6.2% (2024)
• Fossil fuel energy consumption (% of total) — 65.07% (2024)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons)

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Questions people ask

What is European Union's methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e)?

2.06 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 478.42% from 0.36 in 1970 (3.3% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.36 in 2021 and the lowest 0.36 in 1970.

Is the latest change in methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) unusual for European Union?

In 2024, European Union's methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) fell 1.6% on 2023 (from 2.1 to 2.06). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3.6% and a typical year strayed about 4.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.CH4.PI.MT.CE.AR5, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: EDGAR (Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research) Community GHG Database, Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, uri: https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset_ghg2024, publisher: JRC European Commission, date published: 2024; International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://edgar.j… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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