Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia
Zambia: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 153.11 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
153.11 million tonnes
Change on year
up 11.4%
World rank
8th
of 248 countries
All-time high
256.04 million tonnes
in 2008
All-time low
137.50 million tonnes
in 2025
Years of data
24
2003–2026
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 153.11 million tonnes for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in 2026.
The figure is up 11.4% on the previous year and down 36.9% 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, 137.50 million tonnes, in 2025.
That places Zambia 8th 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.
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 238.80 million tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 222.11 million tonnes | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 241.80 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 2006 | 218.21 million tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 241.17 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2008 | 256.04 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 212.47 million tonnes | -17.0% |
| 2010 | 246.42 million tonnes | +16.0% |
| 2011 | 242.73 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 244.73 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 236.47 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 235.02 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 251.76 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 242.51 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 188.15 million tonnes | -22.4% |
| 2018 | 191.18 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 186.92 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 147.41 million tonnes | -21.1% |
| 2021 | 172.48 million tonnes | +17.0% |
| 2022 | 191.39 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 158.47 million tonnes | -17.2% |
| 2024 | 159.41 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 137.50 million tonnes | -13.7% |
| 2026 | 153.11 million tonnes | +11.4% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 153.11 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.38 million tonnes, 45.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 153.11 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.74 million tonnes, 17.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
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 | 159.97 million tonnes | 137.50 million tonnes | 191.39 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 5 Canada 203.48 million tonnes compare
- 6 Brazil 194.64 million tonnes compare
- 7 Australia 153.35 million tonnes compare
- 9 United States 132.51 million tonnes compare
- 10 South Sudan 130.15 million tonnes compare
- 11 Mozambique 99.42 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Zambia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 303.19 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,752 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 169.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,153 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,033 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 120.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.67 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zambia was 153.11 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 137.50 million tonnes in 2025.
- How does Zambia rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- Zambia ranks 8th 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 36.9%. 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 18 September 2026.