Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in South America

South America: Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 was 10,542 kt in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
10,542 kt
Change on year
down 6.9%
Rank
10th
of 32 groups
All-time high
31,665 kt
in 1998
All-time low
3,270 kt
in 2009
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in South America, 1990–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k1990200620231990: 13.9k kt1991: 13.9k kt1992: 13.9k kt1993: 13.9k kt1994: 13.9k kt1995: 13.9k kt1996: 17.5k kt1997: 20.9k kt1998: 31.7k kt1999: 31.2k kt2000: 7.7k kt2001: 6.4k kt2002: 13.2k kt2003: 10.9k kt2004: 18.8k kt2005: 16.6k kt2006: 10.0k kt2007: 21.2k kt2008: 7.1k kt2009: 3.3k kt2010: 26.4k kt2011: 5.9k kt2012: 8.4k kt2013: 3.6k kt2014: 4.7k kt2015: 9.2k kt2016: 8.2k kt2017: 10.3k kt2018: 4.5k kt2019: 14.3k kt2020: 16.7k kt2021: 11.3k kt2022: 11.3k kt2023: 10.5k kt

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

Analysis

In 2023, fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 in South America stood at 10,542 kt.

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) from ch4 in South America peaked at 31,665 kt in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3,270 kt, in 2009.

South America ranks 10th of 32 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in South America, year by year

Annual values for Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) in South America, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 13,872 kt
1991 13,872 kt +0.0%
1992 13,872 kt +0.0%
1993 13,872 kt +0.0%
1994 13,872 kt +0.0%
1995 13,872 kt +0.0%
1996 17,453 kt +25.8%
1997 20,932 kt +19.9%
1998 31,665 kt +51.3%
1999 31,204 kt -1.5%
2000 7,731 kt -75.2%
2001 6,375 kt -17.5%
2002 13,195 kt +107.0%
2003 10,883 kt -17.5%
2004 18,765 kt +72.4%
2005 16,634 kt -11.4%
2006 9,994 kt -39.9%
2007 21,233 kt +112.5%
2008 7,117 kt -66.5%
2009 3,270 kt -54.1%
2010 26,385 kt +707.0%
2011 5,900 kt -77.6%
2012 8,443 kt +43.1%
2013 3,573 kt -57.7%
2014 4,707 kt +31.7%
2015 9,193 kt +95.3%
2016 8,229 kt -10.5%
2017 10,257 kt +24.6%
2018 4,503 kt -56.1%
2019 14,325 kt +218.1%
2020 16,718 kt +16.7%
2021 11,310 kt -32.3%
2022 11,329 kt +0.2%
2023 10,542 kt -6.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 18,449 kt 13,872 kt 31,665 kt 10
2000s 11,520 kt 3,270 kt 21,233 kt 10
2010s 9,552 kt 3,573 kt 26,385 kt 10
2020s 12,475 kt 10,542 kt 16,718 kt 4

Countries ranked near South America

  1. 7 Thailand 1,131 kt compare
  2. 7 United Republic of Tanzania 1,416 kt compare
  3. 8 Sudan (former) 957.36 kt compare
  4. 9 South Sudan 865.47 kt compare
  5. 9 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 88.1 kt compare
  6. 10 Cambodia 723.44 kt compare
  7. 10 Viet Nam 65.73 kt compare
  8. 11 Nepal 695.67 kt compare
  9. 11 Melanesia 37.76 kt compare
  10. 12 Indonesia 636.54 kt compare
  11. 12 Timor-Leste 3.13 kt compare
  12. 13 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 0 kt
  13. 13 India 424.89 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) from ch4 in South America?
Fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 in South America was 10,542 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 recorded in South America?
The highest recorded value was 31,665 kt in 1998.
What is the lowest fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 recorded in South America?
The lowest recorded value was 3,270 kt in 2009.
How does South America rank for fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) from ch4?
South America ranks 10th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is fires in humid tropical forests — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 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 volatile.
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) from CH4 (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in South America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/fires-in-humid-tropical-forests-emissions-co2eq-from-ch4-ar5-fao-tier-1/south-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Fires in humid tropical forests — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (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