Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in China
China: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 44.55 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in China, 2003–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in China is 44.55 million tonnes, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 33.5% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in China peaked at 114.99 million tonnes in 2003 and was at its lowest, 44.55 million tonnes, in 2026.
That places China 20th 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.
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 114.99 million tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 82.40 million tonnes | -28.3% |
| 2005 | 61.96 million tonnes | -24.8% |
| 2006 | 67.86 million tonnes | +9.5% |
| 2007 | 68.26 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 90.40 million tonnes | +32.4% |
| 2009 | 75.35 million tonnes | -16.6% |
| 2010 | 78.63 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 63.54 million tonnes | -19.2% |
| 2012 | 60.96 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 67.57 million tonnes | +10.8% |
| 2014 | 75.48 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2015 | 68.09 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2016 | 52.97 million tonnes | -22.2% |
| 2017 | 61.24 million tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2018 | 55.78 million tonnes | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 60.84 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 2020 | 62.50 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 51.98 million tonnes | -16.8% |
| 2022 | 61.03 million tonnes | +17.4% |
| 2023 | 63.86 million tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 59.89 million tonnes | -6.2% |
| 2025 | 67.01 million tonnes | +11.9% |
| 2026 | 44.55 million tonnes | -33.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 44.55 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.27 million tonnes, 35.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 44.55 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 92,130 tonnes, 483.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 80.17 million tonnes | 61.96 million tonnes | 114.99 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 64.51 million tonnes | 52.97 million tonnes | 78.63 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.69 million tonnes | 44.55 million tonnes | 67.01 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near China
More climate change data for China
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 31.25 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 604,831 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 191,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 413,353 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 722.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 342,069 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 200,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 141,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 757 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in China?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in China was 44.55 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 114.99 million tonnes in 2003.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.55 million tonnes in 2026.
- How does China rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- China ranks 20th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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 18 September 2026.