Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Australia
Australia: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 115.43 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Australia, 2003–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2026, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Australia stood at 115.43 million tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 71.4% on the previous year and down 57.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Australia peaked at 986.00 million tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 115.43 million tonnes, in 2026.
That places Australia 6th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 449.91 million tonnes | 306.02 million tonnes | 606.93 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 530.15 million tonnes | 193.66 million tonnes | 986.00 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 353.55 million tonnes | 115.43 million tonnes | 727.47 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 3 Canada 163.44 million tonnes compare
- 4 Angola 158.79 million tonnes compare
- 5 South Sudan 124.62 million tonnes compare
- 7 United States 93.61 million tonnes compare
- 8 Central African Republic 79.81 million tonnes compare
- 9 Brazil 76.88 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.4% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 27.61 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.7% (2025)
- Urban population 24.22 million (2025)
- Urban population 87.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 20.04 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.48 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Australia?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Australia was 115.43 million tonnes in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 986.00 million tonnes in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 115.43 million tonnes in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon dioxide released by wildfires in tonnes. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.