Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in India
India: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 46.21 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in India, 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 India stood at 46.21 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.6% on the previous year and down 52.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in India peaked at 96.18 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 44.21 million tonnes, in 2024.
That places India 16th 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 | 78.82 million tonnes | 63.25 million tonnes | 88.62 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 64.84 million tonnes | 51.85 million tonnes | 96.18 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.40 million tonnes | 44.21 million tonnes | 76.49 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near India
More climate change data for India
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 14.8% (2100)
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 1.46 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Urban population 522.44 million (2025)
- Urban population 35.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 66.07 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 2.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in India?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in India was 46.21 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 96.18 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.21 million tonnes in 2024.
- How does India rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- India ranks 16th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.