The concentration of methane in the atmosphere is now over two-and-a-half times above pre-industrial levels. Atmospheric records show that, in relative terms, methane concentrations have been rising more quickly than those of all other major greenhouse gases – and at a rate faster than in any period since recordkeeping began. This growth is mainly due to mounting emissions from human activity, but there are also indications that a warming climate is driving up emissions from natural sources such as wetlands.

Methane is responsible for around 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, and making rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions is critical for limiting near-term warming. Methane (CH₄) has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime than carbon dioxide (CO₂) – around 12 years, compared with centuries – but it absorbs much more energy while it remains in the atmosphere. Methane also affects air quality because it can lead to ground-level (tropospheric) ozone, a dangerous pollutant. Methane leaks also present explosion risks.

The latest Global Methane Budget estimates annual global methane emissions to be around 610 Mt, with human activity responsible for almost two‑thirds of the total and natural sources accounting for the rest.

IEA analysis suggests that the energy sector was responsible for around 145 Mt of methane emissions in 2024 – more than 35% of the total amount attributable to human activity. Oil operations were responsible for around 45 Mt, natural gas operations for nearly 35 Mt, and abandoned wells for around 3 Mt. An additional 2 Mt of methane leaked from end-use equipment. Coal accounted for more than 40 Mt, including over 4 Mt from abandoned mines, plus around 1 Mt from end-use equipment. Around 18 Mt came from the incomplete combustion of bioenergy, mostly from the traditional use of biomass, and another 2 Mt from modern bioenergy production.

Fossil fuels generate emissions across the supply chain. These can stem from intentional releases, often due to the design of the facility or equipment (e.g. tanks that vent to the atmosphere), operational requirements (e.g. venting a pipeline for inspection and maintenance) or occur for safety reasons (e.g. ventilation systems at coal mines). They can also result from unintentional leaks – due to a faulty seal or leaking valve, for example, or from the incomplete combustion of natural gas (e.g. at flares).

In the oil and gas industry, upstream operations account for nearly 85% of methane emissions, with gas transportation and other downstream operations responsible for the remaining 15%. Upstream sources include all emissions from production, gathering and processing at both onshore and offshore facilities. Most downstream emissions come from gas transportation, including emissions from transmission and distribution via pipelines or as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and regasification. Other downstream sources include storage, refining and oil transport.

Methane emissions from coal production vary depending on mine characteristics. For underground mines, ventilation systems are usually the leading source of emissions. For surface mines, drainage systems, outcrops and workings are the main sources of methane emissions. Post-mining activities such as processing, storage and transport of coal are also sources of emissions, as any methane still trapped in the matrix of the coal can continue to seep out. 

Globally, we estimate that around 8 Mt of methane were emitted from abandoned facilities in 2024. This is based on historical production data, available measurements and information on abandoned facilities (see the Global Methane Tracker Documentation for further information). Abandoned coal mines emitted nearly 5 Mt, around 60% of which came from People’s Republic of China (hereafter, “China”). Abandoned oil and gas wells emitted around 3 Mt of methane, with almost 40% coming from the United States. 

Not all abandoned mines and well facilities are significant sources of emissions. Properly plugged wells and flooded mines generally emit negligible amounts of methane. Older facilities tend to emit less than recently abandoned ones, especially in the coal sector – but if not properly decommissioned and sealed, they can still emit methane for many years. Depending on the volume of emissions and the available infrastructure, there may be scope to extract and utilise abandoned mine methane, including for power and heat generation.

While current data is limited, we estimate that there are around 8 million abandoned onshore oil and gas wells globally, as well as a large number of abandoned coal mines. This includes almost 4 million abandoned wells and more than 250 000 abandoned coal mines in the United States.

Nearly 18 Mt of global methane emissions resulted from the incomplete combustion of biomass – mostly charcoal, wood, agricultural waste and animal dung used for cooking and heating in developing economies. Modern bioenergy production and use resulted in a further 2 Mt. Anaerobic digestion plants, landfill gas recovery systems and wastewater treatment plants are all potential sources of fugitive methane emissions from biogas and biomethane production. Several feedstocks used to produce biogas and biomethane cause methane emissions from their decomposition (e.g. manure), although this is not always the case (e.g. energy crops). Methane emissions from modern bioenergy production and use can be reduced with the use of best available technologies, leak detection and repair (LDAR) programmes and measures to improve combustion efficiencies.

The fossil fuel sector likely offers the greatest potential for rapid and low-cost reductions in methane emissions. We estimate that around 70% of methane emissions from this sector could be reduced with existing technology. Oil and gas methane emissions can be reduced by around 75% through well-known measures such as LDAR programmes, upgrading leaky and high-emitting equipment or plugging leaky wells. In the coal sector, methane emissions could be halved through effective coal mine methane utilisation in mines, or by deploying flaring or oxidation technologies when energy recovery is not viable. Achieving universal access to clean cooking and modern heating would eliminate the vast majority of emissions from the incomplete combustion of bioenergy.

Based on 2024 energy prices, we estimate that around 30% of methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector could have been avoided at no net cost. This share is higher for the oil and gas sector than in the coal sector. Many measures can save money because the outlays required to deploy them are less than the market value of the methane that can be captured and sold. The value of 30% is slightly lower than the 40% estimated by the Global Methane Tracker 2024 because natural gas prices in 2023 were higher in most countries. The inclusion of emissions from abandoned facilities in our calculations also resulted in a smaller share of abatement measures that can be deployed at no net cost.

In the oil and gas sector, abatement measures are concentrated in the upstream segment, whereas in the coal sector, mitigation measures are mostly linked to underground coal mines. The most cost-effective options for reducing methane emissions are in leaky oil and gas facilities that already have access to gas markets and in gassy underground mines.

In the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) Scenario, methane emissions from fossil fuels fall by around 75% by 2030, and by around 85% by 2035 compared with current levels. Most of this decline stems from the explicit deployment of methane abatement technologies, and all fossil fuel producers in 2030 achieve an emissions intensity close to that of the best performers today. The global average upstream methane emissions intensity of oil and natural gas production falls from around 1% in 2024 to 0.2% in 2030 and the intensity of coal operations falls from just over 1% to 0.5% over the same time period. 

When considering the full lifecycle emissions intensity of gas and coal, some have argued that emissions from the production, processing and transport of natural gas mean that sometimes it is more emissions-intensive than coal. Methane leaks along the natural gas and coal value chains are the critical element in this calculation.

There is a very wide variation in the emissions intensity associated with the production, processing and transport of different sources of gas and coal (i.e. all emissions apart from the CO₂ released during combustion). Still, on a full lifecycle basis, we find that more than 95% of the natural gas consumed today has a lower emissions intensity than coal.

Globally, on average, natural gas results in 35% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than coal. Coal only outperforms natural gas when methane emissions from gas extraction, processing and transport are very high and when the warming impact of methane is considered over a shorter timeframe (e.g. when using the 20-year GWP rather than the 100-year GWP). The lifecycle emissions intensity of LNG tends to be higher than for natural gas, given the energy intensity of the liquefaction process – but in general, LNG still has lower emissions than coal. The IEA is conducting an in-depth analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of LNG and the options available for reducing these emissions, which will be released in June 2025. 

Nonetheless, “beating” coal on environmental grounds sets a low bar for natural gas, especially since there are lower-emissions – and often lower-cost – alternatives to both fuels. The declining cost of renewable technologies in the power sector is the clearest case in point. In many power markets, wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) are already among the cheapest options for new generation. Lifecycle emissions from bioenergy are also considerably lower, on average, than from natural gas.

The IEA produces and publishes country-level estimates for energy-related methane emissions and abatement options as part of our Global Methane Tracker. It also includes emissions estimates from non-energy sectors – waste and agriculture – based on publicly available data to provide a fuller picture of methane sources from human activity. Analysis of how different policy options could reduce methane emissions is also available, as well as comparisons of commitments and plans to reduce methane emissions across countries and regions.

Our estimates are regularly updated using the best available data on fossil fuel operations, country- and production-specific emissions intensities, the latest scientific studies and measurement campaigns as well as large emissions events detected by satellites. Over time, these estimates can be influenced by several factors, including measurement studies, ageing of facilities, shifts in flaring intensities, types of operators and satellite-detected large emissions, as well as evolutions to governance indicators, methane policies and regulations.

The IEA works closely with UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and other partners to ensure our estimates reflect the latest findings from measurement-based, peer-reviewed studies. In addition to the Global Methane Budget, a number of publications released in 2024 used innovative techniques to estimate sectoral emissions for top-emitting regions and countries. These studies demonstrate efforts to compare and reconcile measurement-based and inventory-based methodologies.

Emissions from downstream operations have been revised upwards in this year’s edition of the Global Methane Tracker (to around 13 Mt globally, compared with 8 Mt in last year’s edition). This is based on new data on operating pipelines, measurement studies, and analysis undertaken by Kayrros on the distribution of emissions detected by satellites.

We include emissions from the end use of coal, oil products and natural gas in the Global Methane Tracker. These estimates are based on the emissions factors published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Some measurement campaigns have suggested that these emissions factors could significantly underestimate actual emissions across different end-use environments, including in industry, cities and households. These are areas with very high levels of uncertainty and our estimates will continue to be updated as the evidence base grows.

Emissions estimates from bioenergy are another area of high uncertainty. For solid bioenergy, the Global Methane Tracker relies on emission factors reported by the IPCC in 2006. This year, we conducted a more detailed analysis of solid bioenergy use, refining our estimates of emissions from traditional use of wood for cooking and heating. We also include a specific assessment of methane emissions from biogas supply. This is based on an assessment of emissions from biodigesters, biogas upgrading facilities and emissions from digestate storage.

For the first time, emissions from abandoned coal mines and oil and gas wells are included in the Global Methane Tracker 2025. To estimate these emissions, we first generate country-specific and production type-specific emissions intensities. These are then applied to estimates of abandoned wells and mine capacity on a country-by-country basis, assuming older facilities emit less than recently abandoned ones. Existing measurements of these sources cover a very limited number of facilities and regions, and reliable data (e.g. year of closure, condition of the facility) are not available for most countries. This is an area with very high levels of uncertainty and our estimates will continue to be updated as the evidence base grows.

Hydropower facilities can also emit significant amounts of methane (estimated in one study to be up to 14 Mt annually). Methane sources from these operations include degassing at turbine outlets as well as diffusive, ebullitive emissions from reservoirs. We do not yet include these emissions in the Global Methane Tracker due to the limited information available on the extent and characteristics of these sources. Nonetheless, they may represent significant levels of emissions.

In 2024, we published the IEA’s Methane Abatement Model, which allows users to estimate oil and gas methane abatement potential and the associated cost of abatement by country, segment and reduction technology. This report and the information presented in the Methane Tracker Data Explorer represent our best attempt to reconcile existing information and produce a consistent set of country-level estimates. Further details on the methods used can be found in the Global Methane Tracker Documentation. We recognise these estimates do not represent the last word and welcome all feedback based on measurements and robust data sources that can further refine our estimates.

Relevant reports, scientific studies or information can be shared with IEA analysts by email at methanetracker@iea.org.