Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires was 2.16 tonnes in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong, 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 pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong is 2.16 tonnes, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 98.5% on the previous year and down 99.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong peaked at 1,754 tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.16 tonnes, in 2026.
That places Hong Kong 184th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,694 tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 1,411 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 2005 | 953.16 tonnes | -32.4% |
| 2006 | 1,047 tonnes | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 1,313 tonnes | +25.5% |
| 2008 | 1,129 tonnes | -14.1% |
| 2009 | 186.18 tonnes | -83.5% |
| 2010 | 800.01 tonnes | +329.7% |
| 2011 | 836.42 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 844.59 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1,036 tonnes | +22.6% |
| 2014 | 1,245 tonnes | +20.2% |
| 2015 | 1,244 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1,266 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 284.1 tonnes | -77.6% |
| 2018 | 350.16 tonnes | +23.3% |
| 2019 | 295.36 tonnes | -15.6% |
| 2020 | 189.22 tonnes | -35.9% |
| 2021 | 1,754 tonnes | +827.2% |
| 2022 | 1,205 tonnes | -31.3% |
| 2023 | 260.71 tonnes | -78.4% |
| 2024 | 316.75 tonnes | +21.5% |
| 2025 | 144.62 tonnes | -54.3% |
| 2026 | 2.16 tonnes | -98.5% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 2.16 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 221.26 tonnes, 1% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 2.16 tonnes is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 301.22 tonnes, 1% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +827.2% | 189.22 tonnes | 1,754 tonnes |
| 2010 | +329.7% | 186.18 tonnes | 800.01 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,105 tonnes | 186.18 tonnes | 1,694 tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 820.14 tonnes | 284.1 tonnes | 1,266 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 553.2 tonnes | 2.16 tonnes | 1,754 tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
- 181 Djibouti 5.39 tonnes compare
- 182 Falkland Islands 4.32 tonnes compare
- 183 Curacao 3.69 tonnes compare
- 185 Luxembourg 1.87 tonnes compare
- 186 Isle of Man 0.21 tonnes compare
- 187 Aland Islands 0 tonnes compare
- 187 American Samoa 0 tonnes
- 187 Andorra 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Anguilla 0 tonnes
- 187 Aruba 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Barbados 0 tonnes
- 187 Bermuda 0 tonnes
- 187 Bouvet Island 0 tonnes
- 187 British Indian Ocean Territory 0 tonnes
- 187 British Virgin Islands 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Cayman Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 Christmas Island 0 tonnes
- 187 Cocos Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 Cook Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 Faroe Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 French Polynesia 0 tonnes
- 187 French Southern Territories 0 tonnes
- 187 Gibraltar 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Guernsey 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Heard Island and McDonald Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 Iceland 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Jersey 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Kiribati 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Liechtenstein 0 tonnes
- 187 Macao 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Maldives 0 tonnes
- 187 Malta 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Marshall Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 Martinique 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Mauritius 0 tonnes
- 187 Mayotte 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Micronesia (country) 0 tonnes
- 187 Monaco 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Montserrat 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Nauru 0 tonnes
- 187 Niue 0 tonnes
- 187 Norfolk Island 0 tonnes
- 187 Northern Mariana Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 Palau 0 tonnes
- 187 Pitcairn 0 tonnes
- 187 Reunion 0 tonnes
- 187 Saint Barthelemy 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Saint Helena 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Saint Martin (French Part) 0 tonnes
- 187 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 tonnes
- 187 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Samoa 0 tonnes
- 187 San Marino 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Sao Tome and Principe 0 tonnes
- 187 Seychelles 0 tonnes
- 187 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0 tonnes
- 187 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 Svalbard and Jan Mayen 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Tokelau 0 tonnes
- 187 Tonga 0 tonnes
- 187 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Tuvalu 0 tonnes
- 187 United States Minor Outlying Islands 0 tonnes
- 187 United States Virgin Islands 0 tonnes compare
- 187 Vatican 0 tonnes
- 187 Wallis and Futuna 0 tonnes
- 187 Western Sahara 0 tonnes compare
More climate change data for Hong Kong
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.42 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.441 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.2868 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate -0.3349 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate -0.3349 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 1 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate -76.56 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong?
- Annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in Hong Kong was 2.16 tonnes in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 1,754 tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.16 tonnes in 2026.
- How does Hong Kong rank for annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires?
- Hong Kong ranks 184th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is down 99.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Hong Kong 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 PM2.5 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
PM2.5 emissions represent the quantity of fine particulate matter (diameter less than 2.5 micrometers) released by wildfires, in tonnes. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.