Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires was 16.26 million tonnes in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 16.26 million tonnes.
That represents a change of up 28.8% on the previous year and down 31.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zimbabwe peaked at 48.54 million tonnes in 2011 and was at its lowest, 7.86 million tonnes, in 2020.
Zimbabwe ranks 39th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual CO₂ emissions from wildfires in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 24.25 million tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 32.95 million tonnes | +35.9% |
| 2005 | 33.92 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 31.36 million tonnes | -7.6% |
| 2007 | 37.46 million tonnes | +19.5% |
| 2008 | 44.64 million tonnes | +19.2% |
| 2009 | 38.79 million tonnes | -13.1% |
| 2010 | 45.57 million tonnes | +17.5% |
| 2011 | 48.54 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 38.14 million tonnes | -21.4% |
| 2013 | 26.46 million tonnes | -30.6% |
| 2014 | 31.85 million tonnes | +20.3% |
| 2015 | 38.23 million tonnes | +20.0% |
| 2016 | 23.76 million tonnes | -37.8% |
| 2017 | 22.46 million tonnes | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 27.58 million tonnes | +22.8% |
| 2019 | 26.09 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 7.86 million tonnes | -69.9% |
| 2021 | 20.23 million tonnes | +157.3% |
| 2022 | 28.03 million tonnes | +38.5% |
| 2023 | 27.82 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 16.71 million tonnes | -39.9% |
| 2025 | 12.62 million tonnes | -24.4% |
| 2026 | 16.26 million tonnes | +28.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 16.26 million tonnes is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.38 million tonnes, 4.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 16.26 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.74 million tonnes, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34.77 million tonnes | 24.25 million tonnes | 44.64 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 32.87 million tonnes | 22.46 million tonnes | 48.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.50 million tonnes | 7.86 million tonnes | 28.03 million tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More climate change data for Zimbabwe
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 178.46 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 17,716 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,805 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 11,912 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 21.9 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 425.42 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,483 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,345 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 137.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 5.08 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zimbabwe?
- Annual co₂ emissions from wildfires in Zimbabwe was 16.26 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 48.54 million tonnes in 2011.
- What is the lowest annual co₂ emissions from wildfires recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.86 million tonnes in 2020.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for annual co₂ emissions from wildfires?
- Zimbabwe ranks 39th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual co₂ emissions from wildfires rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.