Annual pm25 emissions from wildfires in South Africa

South Africa: Annual pm25 emissions from wildfires was 86,388 in 2026. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2026)
86,388
Change on year
down 25.1%
World rank
25th
of 241 countries
All-time high
248,428
in 2007
All-time low
86,388
in 2026
Years of data
24
2003–2026

Annual pm25 emissions from wildfires in South Africa, 2003–2026

100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k2003201420262003: 204.5k2004: 141.0k2005: 231.7k2006: 170.4k2007: 248.4k2008: 206.0k2009: 189.4k2010: 227.4k2011: 202.4k2012: 202.8k2013: 200.6k2014: 217.8k2015: 176.2k2016: 156.5k2017: 184.6k2018: 202.8k2019: 161.9k2020: 126.3k2021: 196.1k2022: 159.7k2023: 240.6k2024: 227.8k2025: 115.4k2026: 86.4k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2026, annual pm25 emissions from wildfires in South Africa stood at 86,388. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.1% on the previous year and down 44.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual pm25 emissions from wildfires in South Africa peaked at 248,428 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 86,388, in 2026.

That places South Africa 25th out of 241 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 198,761 140,961 248,428 7
2010s 193,313 156,513 227,448 10
2020s 164,611 86,388 240,638 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 22 Thailand 99,228 compare
  2. 23 Cambodia 92,930 compare
  3. 24 Cameroon 90,507 compare
  4. 26 Sierra Leone 83,300 compare
  5. 27 Congo, Republic of 81,356 compare
  6. 28 Bolivia 80,154 compare

See the full ranking of 248 places β†’

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is annual pm25 emissions from wildfires in South Africa?
Annual pm25 emissions from wildfires in South Africa was 86,388 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual pm25 emissions from wildfires recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 248,428 in 2007.
What is the lowest annual pm25 emissions from wildfires recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 86,388 in 2026.
How does South Africa rank for annual pm25 emissions from wildfires?
South Africa ranks 25th out of 241 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual pm25 emissions from wildfires rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual pm25 emissions from wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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Annual pm25 emissions from wildfires in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/annual-pm25-emissions-from-wildfires/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual pm25 emissions from wildfires
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
248 places, 5,952 data points, 2003–2026
Last refreshed