Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia
Zambia: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 64.96 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia, 2003–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 64.96 million tonnes for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 52.8% on the previous year and down 73.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia peaked at 256.04 million tonnes in 2008 and was at its lowest, 64.96 million tonnes, in 2026.
That places Zambia 11th 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 | 232.94 million tonnes | 212.47 million tonnes | 256.04 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 226.59 million tonnes | 186.92 million tonnes | 251.76 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 147.38 million tonnes | 64.96 million tonnes | 191.39 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More climate change data for Zambia
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.6% (2100)
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 21.91 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 10.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 300.84 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 0.565 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia was 64.96 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 256.04 million tonnes in 2008.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.96 million tonnes in 2026.
- How does Zambia rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- Zambia ranks 11th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 73.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.