Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in United States
United States: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 93.61 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in United States, 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 United States is 93.61 million tonnes, measured in 2026.
The figure is down 30.5% on the previous year and down 39.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in United States peaked at 238.39 million tonnes in 2004 and was at its lowest, 91.64 million tonnes, in 2023.
United States ranks 7th of 248 countries on this measure, 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 | 182.04 million tonnes | 124.41 million tonnes | 238.39 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 156.48 million tonnes | 102.59 million tonnes | 203.68 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 157.45 million tonnes | 91.64 million tonnes | 230.28 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in United States?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in United States was 93.61 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 238.39 million tonnes in 2004.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.64 million tonnes in 2023.
- How does United States rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- United States ranks 7th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.