Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 711,745 tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 711,745 tonnes.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and down 53.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.66 million tonnes in 2017 and was at its lowest, 683,972 tonnes, in 2025.
That places Sri Lanka 102nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2.36 million tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 2.87 million tonnes | +21.7% |
| 2005 | 1.87 million tonnes | -35.0% |
| 2006 | 1.65 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2007 | 1.24 million tonnes | -24.9% |
| 2008 | 1.49 million tonnes | +20.4% |
| 2009 | 2.03 million tonnes | +35.7% |
| 2010 | 1.52 million tonnes | -24.9% |
| 2011 | 1.63 million tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 2.10 million tonnes | +29.4% |
| 2013 | 1.27 million tonnes | -39.6% |
| 2014 | 1.54 million tonnes | +20.8% |
| 2015 | 690,980 tonnes | -55.0% |
| 2016 | 1.52 million tonnes | +120.6% |
| 2017 | 3.66 million tonnes | +140.2% |
| 2018 | 3.15 million tonnes | -14.0% |
| 2019 | 3.23 million tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 3.66 million tonnes | +13.3% |
| 2021 | 1.14 million tonnes | -68.8% |
| 2022 | 1.80 million tonnes | +57.6% |
| 2023 | 1.94 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2024 | 1.73 million tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2025 | 683,972 tonnes | -60.5% |
| 2026 | 711,745 tonnes | +4.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 711,745 tonnes is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.27 million tonnes, 56% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 711,745 tonnes is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.23 million tonnes, 58% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.93 million tonnes | 1.24 million tonnes | 2.87 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 2.03 million tonnes | 690,980 tonnes | 3.66 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.67 million tonnes | 683,972 tonnes | 3.66 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Sri Lanka?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Sri Lanka was 711,745 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.66 million tonnes in 2017.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 683,972 tonnes in 2025.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- Sri Lanka ranks 102nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.