Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in France

France: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 4.73 million tonnes in 2026. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2026)
4.73 million tonnes
Change on year
up 232.4%
World rank
56th
of 248 countries
All-time high
4.79 million tonnes
in 2003
All-time low
1.04 million tonnes
in 2024
Years of data
24
2003–2026

Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in France, 2003–2026

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M2003201420262003: 4.8M tonnes2004: 2.3M tonnes2005: 2.1M tonnes2006: 1.5M tonnes2007: 1.2M tonnes2008: 1.7M tonnes2009: 1.2M tonnes2010: 1.4M tonnes2011: 1.2M tonnes2012: 1.4M tonnes2013: 1.1M tonnes2014: 1.4M tonnes2015: 1.2M tonnes2016: 1.8M tonnes2017: 2.5M tonnes2018: 1.3M tonnes2019: 1.8M tonnes2020: 1.2M tonnes2021: 1.8M tonnes2022: 4.3M tonnes2023: 1.3M tonnes2024: 1.0M tonnes2025: 1.4M tonnes2026: 4.7M tonnes

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 France is 4.73 million tonnes, measured in 2026.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 232.4% on the previous year and up 162.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in France peaked at 4.79 million tonnes in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.04 million tonnes, in 2024.

France ranks 56th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.11 million tonnes 1.19 million tonnes 4.79 million tonnes 7
2010s 1.51 million tonnes 1.13 million tonnes 2.47 million tonnes 10
2020s 2.26 million tonnes 1.04 million tonnes 4.73 million tonnes 7

Countries ranked near France

  1. 53 Malaysia 5.93 million tonnes compare
  2. 54 Honduras 5.40 million tonnes compare
  3. 55 Algeria 5.14 million tonnes compare
  4. 57 Nicaragua 4.41 million tonnes compare
  5. 58 Benin 4.22 million tonnes compare
  6. 59 Guinea-Bissau 3.96 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More climate change data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in France?
Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in France was 4.73 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 France?
The highest recorded value was 4.79 million tonnes in 2003.
What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 1.04 million tonnes in 2024.
How does France rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
France ranks 56th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 162.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this France 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

Indicator
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires
Unit
tonnes
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
248 places, 5,952 data points, 2003–2026
Last refreshed

Carbon dioxide released by wildfires in tonnes. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.