Forest fires — Emissions in Western Africa

Western Africa: Forest fires — Emissions was 12,388 kt in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
12,388 kt
Change on year
up 38.9%
Rank
18th
of 31 groups
All-time high
34,867 kt
in 2015
All-time low
4,494 kt
in 2018
Years of data
24
2001–2024

Forest fires — Emissions in Western Africa, 2001–2024

010.0k20.0k30.0k2001201220242001: 28.3k kt2002: 14.2k kt2003: 22.0k kt2004: 12.4k kt2005: 16.8k kt2006: 23.4k kt2007: 19.4k kt2008: 17.4k kt2009: 22.5k kt2010: 11.9k kt2011: 13.0k kt2012: 21.3k kt2013: 20.4k kt2014: 21.3k kt2015: 34.9k kt2016: 13.7k kt2017: 7.7k kt2018: 4.5k kt2019: 13.3k kt2020: 23.8k kt2021: 8.7k kt2022: 8.8k kt2023: 8.9k kt2024: 12.4k kt

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for forest fires — emissions in Western Africa is 12,388 kt, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 38.9% on the previous year and down 41.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions in Western Africa peaked at 34,867 kt in 2015 and was at its lowest, 4,494 kt, in 2018.

That places Western Africa 18th out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Forest fires — Emissions in Western Africa, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Emissions (CO2) in Western Africa, 2001 to 2024.
Year kt Change
2001 28,314 kt
2002 14,175 kt -49.9%
2003 21,958 kt +54.9%
2004 12,445 kt -43.3%
2005 16,812 kt +35.1%
2006 23,445 kt +39.5%
2007 19,414 kt -17.2%
2008 17,428 kt -10.2%
2009 22,474 kt +28.9%
2010 11,941 kt -46.9%
2011 13,036 kt +9.2%
2012 21,289 kt +63.3%
2013 20,432 kt -4.0%
2014 21,309 kt +4.3%
2015 34,867 kt +63.6%
2016 13,674 kt -60.8%
2017 7,672 kt -43.9%
2018 4,494 kt -41.4%
2019 13,315 kt +196.3%
2020 23,790 kt +78.7%
2021 8,712 kt -63.4%
2022 8,826 kt +1.3%
2023 8,921 kt +1.1%
2024 12,388 kt +38.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 19,607 kt 12,445 kt 28,314 kt 9
2010s 16,203 kt 4,494 kt 34,867 kt 10
2020s 12,527 kt 8,712 kt 23,790 kt 5

Countries ranked near Western Africa

  1. 15 South Sudan 25,207 kt compare
  2. 16 Sudan (former) 24,078 kt compare
  3. 17 Paraguay 14,810 kt compare
  4. 18 Congo 14,405 kt compare
  5. 19 Ethiopia 11,513 kt compare
  6. 20 Australia and New Zealand 10,296 kt compare
  7. 21 Australia 10,244 kt compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More climate change data for Western Africa

All data for Western Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — emissions in Western Africa?
Forest fires — emissions in Western Africa was 12,388 kt in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — emissions recorded in Western Africa?
The highest recorded value was 34,867 kt in 2015.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions recorded in Western Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 4,494 kt in 2018.
How does Western Africa rank for forest fires — emissions?
Western Africa ranks 18th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — emissions rising or falling in Western Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 41.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Western Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Forest fires — Emissions in Western Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-co2-fao-tier-1/western-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-co2-fao-tier-1/western-africa/">Forest fires — Emissions in Western Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
234 places, 5,513 data points, 2001–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Fires consists of estimates of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from biomass burning in a range of vegetation types and from fires in organic soils.