Forest fires — Emissions in South Africa

South Africa: Forest fires — Emissions was 1.87 kt in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.87 kt
Change on year
up 39.7%
World rank
41st
of 219 countries
All-time high
71.72 kt
in 1998
All-time low
1.34 kt
in 2022
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Forest fires — Emissions in South Africa, 1990–2023

0204060801990200620231990: 10.9 kt1991: 10.9 kt1992: 10.9 kt1993: 10.9 kt1994: 10.9 kt1995: 10.9 kt1996: 42.1 kt1997: 42.3 kt1998: 71.7 kt1999: 47.7 kt2000: 15.4 kt2001: 2.3 kt2002: 2.2 kt2003: 5.3 kt2004: 2 kt2005: 7.9 kt2006: 2.4 kt2007: 8.6 kt2008: 5.1 kt2009: 2.7 kt2010: 4 kt2011: 3.3 kt2012: 3.5 kt2013: 3.4 kt2014: 4.7 kt2015: 2.3 kt2016: 2.8 kt2017: 4 kt2018: 9.8 kt2019: 4.4 kt2020: 3.8 kt2021: 2.5 kt2022: 1.3 kt2023: 1.9 kt

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 1.87 kt for forest fires — emissions in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 39.7% on the previous year and down 44.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions in South Africa peaked at 71.72 kt in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1.34 kt, in 2022.

That places South Africa 41st out of 219 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Forest fires — Emissions in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Emissions (CH4) in South Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 10.94 kt
1991 10.94 kt +0.0%
1992 10.94 kt +0.0%
1993 10.94 kt +0.0%
1994 10.94 kt +0.0%
1995 10.94 kt +0.0%
1996 42.09 kt +284.9%
1997 42.27 kt +0.4%
1998 71.72 kt +69.7%
1999 47.71 kt -33.5%
2000 15.38 kt -67.8%
2001 2.33 kt -84.9%
2002 2.15 kt -7.3%
2003 5.29 kt +145.5%
2004 1.96 kt -62.9%
2005 7.86 kt +300.6%
2006 2.36 kt -70.0%
2007 8.61 kt +265.1%
2008 5.07 kt -41.1%
2009 2.71 kt -46.6%
2010 4.02 kt +48.7%
2011 3.33 kt -17.3%
2012 3.5 kt +5.1%
2013 3.38 kt -3.4%
2014 4.69 kt +38.9%
2015 2.27 kt -51.5%
2016 2.81 kt +23.4%
2017 4.02 kt +43.3%
2018 9.82 kt +144.1%
2019 4.38 kt -55.4%
2020 3.76 kt -14.3%
2021 2.53 kt -32.7%
2022 1.34 kt -46.9%
2023 1.87 kt +39.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 26.94 kt 10.94 kt 71.72 kt 10
2000s 5.37 kt 1.96 kt 15.38 kt 10
2010s 4.22 kt 2.27 kt 9.82 kt 10
2020s 2.37 kt 1.34 kt 3.76 kt 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 38 Peru 2.53 kt compare
  2. 39 Belize 2.17 kt compare
  3. 40 Guatemala 1.98 kt compare
  4. 42 Papua New Guinea 1.85 kt compare
  5. 43 Algeria 1.48 kt compare
  6. 44 Liberia 1.46 kt compare

See the full ranking of 273 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — emissions in South Africa?
Forest fires — emissions in South Africa was 1.87 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 71.72 kt in 1998.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.34 kt in 2022.
How does South Africa rank for forest fires — emissions?
South Africa ranks 41st out of 219 countries with data for 2023.
Is forest fires — emissions rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Emissions (CH4). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Emissions in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-ch4-fao-tier-1-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Emissions (CH4)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
273 places, 9,061 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