Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) in South America

South America: Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) was 19,652 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
19,652 kt
Change on year
down 6.9%
Rank
10th
of 32 groups
All-time high
49,185 kt
in 2010
All-time low
6,095 kt
in 2009
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) in South America, 1990–2023

10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k1990200620231990: 23.7k kt1991: 23.7k kt1992: 23.7k kt1993: 23.7k kt1994: 23.7k kt1995: 23.7k kt1996: 22.3k kt1997: 26.8k kt1998: 40.5k kt1999: 39.9k kt2000: 9.9k kt2001: 11.9k kt2002: 24.6k kt2003: 20.3k kt2004: 35.0k kt2005: 31.0k kt2006: 18.6k kt2007: 39.6k kt2008: 13.3k kt2009: 6.1k kt2010: 49.2k kt2011: 11.0k kt2012: 15.7k kt2013: 6.7k kt2014: 8.8k kt2015: 17.1k kt2016: 15.3k kt2017: 19.1k kt2018: 8.4k kt2019: 26.7k kt2020: 31.2k kt2021: 21.1k kt2022: 21.1k kt2023: 19.7k kt

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

South America recorded 19,652 kt for fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.9% on the previous year and up 195.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) in South America peaked at 49,185 kt in 2010 and was at its lowest, 6,095 kt, in 2009.

That places South America 10th out of 32 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) in South America, year by year

Annual values for Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in South America, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 23,658 kt
1991 23,658 kt +0.0%
1992 23,658 kt +0.0%
1993 23,658 kt +0.0%
1994 23,658 kt +0.0%
1995 23,658 kt +0.0%
1996 22,311 kt -5.7%
1997 26,759 kt +19.9%
1998 40,479 kt +51.3%
1999 39,890 kt -1.5%
2000 9,883 kt -75.2%
2001 11,884 kt +20.2%
2002 24,598 kt +107.0%
2003 20,288 kt -17.5%
2004 34,981 kt +72.4%
2005 31,008 kt -11.4%
2006 18,630 kt -39.9%
2007 39,581 kt +112.5%
2008 13,266 kt -66.5%
2009 6,095 kt -54.1%
2010 49,185 kt +707.0%
2011 10,998 kt -77.6%
2012 15,739 kt +43.1%
2013 6,661 kt -57.7%
2014 8,774 kt +31.7%
2015 17,137 kt +95.3%
2016 15,340 kt -10.5%
2017 19,121 kt +24.6%
2018 8,393 kt -56.1%
2019 26,703 kt +218.1%
2020 31,165 kt +16.7%
2021 21,083 kt -32.3%
2022 21,119 kt +0.2%
2023 19,652 kt -6.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 27,139 kt 22,311 kt 40,479 kt 10
2000s 21,022 kt 6,095 kt 39,581 kt 10
2010s 17,805 kt 6,661 kt 49,185 kt 10
2020s 23,255 kt 19,652 kt 31,165 kt 4

Countries ranked near South America

  1. 7 Thailand 2,108 kt compare
  2. 7 United Republic of Tanzania 2,640 kt compare
  3. 8 Sudan (former) 1,785 kt compare
  4. 9 South Sudan 1,613 kt compare
  5. 9 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 164.24 kt compare
  6. 10 Cambodia 1,349 kt compare
  7. 10 Viet Nam 122.52 kt compare
  8. 11 Nepal 1,297 kt compare
  9. 11 Melanesia 70.41 kt compare
  10. 12 Indonesia 1,187 kt compare
  11. 12 Timor-Leste 5.83 kt compare
  12. 13 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 0 kt
  13. 13 India 792.05 kt compare
  14. 13 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0 kt
  15. 13 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 kt
  16. 13 Republic of Moldova 0 kt
  17. 13 Syrian Arab Republic 0 kt
  18. 13 Türkiye 0 kt
  19. 13 Wallis and Futuna Islands 0 kt
  20. 13 Micronesia 0 kt
  21. 13 Polynesia 0 kt compare

See the full ranking of 271 places →

More climate change data for South America

All data for South America →

Frequently asked questions

What is fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) in South America?
Fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) in South America was 19,652 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South America?
The highest recorded value was 49,185 kt in 2010.
What is the lowest fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) recorded in South America?
The lowest recorded value was 6,095 kt in 2009.
How does South America rank for fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq)?
South America ranks 10th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in South America?
Over the last ten years it is up 195.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South America data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) in South America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/fires-in-humid-tropical-forests-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/south-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
271 places, 8,993 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf