Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in United States
United States: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 132.51 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 132.51 million tonnes, measured in 2026.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 14.4% 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 9th 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.
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 145.50 million tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 238.39 million tonnes | +63.8% |
| 2005 | 223.03 million tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 156.39 million tonnes | -29.9% |
| 2007 | 197.86 million tonnes | +26.5% |
| 2008 | 124.41 million tonnes | -37.1% |
| 2009 | 188.68 million tonnes | +51.7% |
| 2010 | 102.59 million tonnes | -45.6% |
| 2011 | 181.02 million tonnes | +76.4% |
| 2012 | 186.04 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 148.49 million tonnes | -20.2% |
| 2014 | 114.69 million tonnes | -22.8% |
| 2015 | 203.68 million tonnes | +77.6% |
| 2016 | 154.85 million tonnes | -24.0% |
| 2017 | 174.50 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2018 | 153.53 million tonnes | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 145.37 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 230.28 million tonnes | +58.4% |
| 2021 | 214.74 million tonnes | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 177.57 million tonnes | -17.3% |
| 2023 | 91.64 million tonnes | -48.4% |
| 2024 | 159.62 million tonnes | +74.2% |
| 2025 | 134.66 million tonnes | -15.6% |
| 2026 | 132.51 million tonnes | -1.6% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 132.51 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 41,059 tonnes, 3227.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
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 | 163.01 million tonnes | 91.64 million tonnes | 230.28 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 6 Brazil 194.64 million tonnes compare
- 7 Australia 153.35 million tonnes compare
- 8 Zambia 153.11 million tonnes compare
- 10 South Sudan 130.15 million tonnes compare
- 11 Mozambique 99.42 million tonnes compare
- 12 Central African Republic 79.90 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for United States
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 274,482 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60,922 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 213,560 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 229.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7,627 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 107,381 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 89,068 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 18,313 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 336.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 654.05 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in United States?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in United States was 132.51 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 9th 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 14.4%. 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 18 September 2026.