Global biogas production has risen at a 10-year CAGR of 3% to reach 4.3bcfed in 2023, equivalent to 1.1% of global gas consumption. Europe accounts for half of global biogas, helped by $4-40/mcfe subsidies. This data-file aggregates global biogas production by country, plus notes into feedstock sources, uses of biogas and biomethane.
Germany has historically been the largest producer in the world, with biogas output rising to 0.8bcfd by 2015, 10% of Germany’s total gas needs, then flat-lining on the phase-back of subsidies, such as 6-25 c/kWh feed-in tariffs for biogas->power.
40-45% of Germany’s biogas feedstock is from the anaerobic digestion of crop residues (70% corn silage), 40-45% is from animal waste (80% cattle), 6% is from wastewater. 85% is produced as biogas and 15% is upgraded to biomethane. 78% is used to produce electricity. Larger listed companies include EnviTec and Verbio.
China has now overtaken Germany to become the world’s largest biogas producer, reaching 0.9bcfed in 2023, although biogas has fallen from 4% of China’s total gas use in 2013 to 2% in 2023.
The US produced 0.6bcfd of biogas in 2023, or 1% of total gas consumption, with 2,400 production sites, of which 70-80% is captured from landfills. BP acquired the US’s largest RNG producer, Archaea Energy, for $4.2bn in 2022.
Brazil arguably has most growth potential, producing 0.1bcfed, across around 1,000 production sites, 65% from agricultural wastes, and c80% is used for electricity generation.
Denmark sources the highest share of its total gas needs from biogas of any country in our database by a wide margin, at c50%. 80% is upgraded and delivered into the gas grid, encouraged by a $6.2/mcfe subsidy program for raw biogas production, and $13/mcfe for upgraded biomethane, which supports the economics in our biogas costs models.
The data-file contains underlying data into global biogas production by country, in TJ terms, in TWH terms, and in bcf of gas equivalent terms (bcfed). Backup tabs contain workings and other input data. For further data, please see our broader biogas research and biofuels research,