China vs India: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires
China
41.94 million tonnes
in 2026
India
46.21 million tonnes
in 2026
China rank
18th
India rank
16th
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 46.21 million tonnes against 41.94 million tonnes in China, a difference of 4.27 million tonnes.
That makes India's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2003 it was China ahead.
China ranks 18th and India ranks 16th of 248 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and India in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 80.17 million tonnes | 78.82 million tonnes | 1.35 million tonnes | China |
| 2010s | 64.51 million tonnes | 64.84 million tonnes | 332,120 tonnes | India |
| 2020s | 58.32 million tonnes | 51.40 million tonnes | 6.92 million tonnes | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from wildfires, China or India?
- India, at 46.21 million tonnes against 41.94 million tonnes in China as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from wildfires between China and India?
- 4.27 million tonnes, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2026.
- How do China and India rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- China ranks 18th and India ranks 16th of 248 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Carbon dioxide released by wildfires in tonnes. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.