New Zealand: Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, New Zealand's methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e) fell 0.9% on 2023 (from 29.97 to 29.69).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.1% and a typical year strayed about 1.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.2% in 1980 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.4% in 1987. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.35 a year. A straight line explains 91% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 29.18 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.92, against 1.31 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, New Zealand had the 31st highest value of the 198 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to New Zealand in the 2024 ranking

• Venezuela, RB — 28th of 198: 32.46
• United Kingdom — 29th of 198: 31.55
• Canada — 30th of 198: 30.53
• Spain — 32nd of 198: 27.33
• Mali — 33rd of 198: 26.64
• South Africa — 34th of 198: 25.85

What this measures

A measure of annual emissions of methane (CH4), one of the six Kyoto greenhouse gases (GHG), from the agricultural sector. This includes emissions from livestock (IPCC 2006 codes 3.A.1 (enteric fermentation, 3.a.2 (manure management) and crops (IPCC 2006 codes 3.C.1 Emissions from biomass burning, 3.C.7 Rice cultivations). 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 Agriculture (Mt CO2e) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 0.004 (2024)
• Australia — 84.7 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 0.02 (2024)
• Cambodia — 23.83 (2024)
• China — 498.98 (2024)
• Fiji — 0.4 (2024)
• French Polynesia — 0.03 (2024)
• Guam — 0.0028 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 0.02 (2024)
• Indonesia

More environment data for New Zealand

• Population in largest city — 1.71 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 38.26% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 1.71 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 32.14% (2025)
• Rural population — 852,066 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 16% (2025)
• Urban population — 4.47 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 84% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 98,878 (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is New Zealand's methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e)?

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

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 2.22% from 30.36 in 1970. The highest value was 34.15 in 1986 and the lowest 29.18 in 1971.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EN.GHG.CH4.AG.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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