Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Japan
Japan: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 939,204 tonnes in 2026. ▲ Rising
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Japan, 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 Japan stood at 939,204 tonnes. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 79.4% on the previous year and down 79.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Japan peaked at 6.57 million tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 939,204 tonnes, in 2026.
That places Japan 97th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Japan, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 3.57 million tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 3.95 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2005 | 3.00 million tonnes | -24.1% |
| 2006 | 4.09 million tonnes | +36.4% |
| 2007 | 3.66 million tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2008 | 3.63 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 3.42 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 5.14 million tonnes | +50.0% |
| 2011 | 4.29 million tonnes | -16.5% |
| 2012 | 3.86 million tonnes | -10.0% |
| 2013 | 5.26 million tonnes | +36.2% |
| 2014 | 4.62 million tonnes | -12.2% |
| 2015 | 4.04 million tonnes | -12.5% |
| 2016 | 4.67 million tonnes | +15.5% |
| 2017 | 5.83 million tonnes | +24.9% |
| 2018 | 6.22 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 6.57 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 4.91 million tonnes | -25.3% |
| 2021 | 5.33 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2022 | 4.97 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 4.97 million tonnes | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 5.24 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2025 | 4.57 million tonnes | -12.9% |
| 2026 | 939,204 tonnes | -79.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 939,204 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 41,059 tonnes, 22.9× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 939,204 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 92,130 tonnes, 10.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.62 million tonnes | 3.00 million tonnes | 4.09 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 5.05 million tonnes | 3.86 million tonnes | 6.57 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.42 million tonnes | 939,204 tonnes | 5.33 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More climate change data for Japan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 337.64 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,181 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,633 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 305.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 9,462 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,061 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 9.06 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Japan?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Japan was 939,204 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.57 million tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 939,204 tonnes in 2026.
- How does Japan rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- Japan ranks 97th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.