Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in Africa

Africa: Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) was 87,195 kt in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
87,195 kt
Change on year
down 16.3%
Rank
4th
of 32 groups
All-time high
150,794 kt
in 2010
All-time low
87,195 kt
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in Africa, 1990–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k1990200620231990: 125.7k kt1991: 125.7k kt1992: 125.7k kt1993: 125.7k kt1994: 125.7k kt1995: 125.7k kt1996: 93.1k kt1997: 110.0k kt1998: 144.5k kt1999: 132.6k kt2000: 99.5k kt2001: 100.0k kt2002: 97.0k kt2003: 132.0k kt2004: 127.1k kt2005: 144.4k kt2006: 127.2k kt2007: 129.2k kt2008: 135.8k kt2009: 122.9k kt2010: 150.8k kt2011: 148.2k kt2012: 149.9k kt2013: 138.8k kt2014: 130.3k kt2015: 138.6k kt2016: 145.0k kt2017: 143.9k kt2018: 127.6k kt2019: 131.2k kt2020: 123.3k kt2021: 116.1k kt2022: 104.2k kt2023: 87.2k kt

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa is 87,195 kt, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.3% on the previous year and down 37.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa peaked at 150,794 kt in 2010 and was at its lowest, 87,195 kt, in 2023.

Africa ranks 4th of 32 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 123,431 kt 93,085 kt 144,483 kt 10
2000s 121,500 kt 96,974 kt 144,370 kt 10
2010s 140,418 kt 127,579 kt 150,794 kt 10
2020s 107,710 kt 87,195 kt 123,300 kt 4

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 OECD 20,442 kt compare
  2. 2 Central African Republic 15,732 kt compare
  3. 3 Zambia 14,941 kt compare
  4. 4 Mozambique 14,132 kt compare
  5. 5 Canada 13,919 kt compare
  6. 6 Brazil 10,211 kt compare
  7. 7 Angola 10,149 kt compare

See the full ranking of 273 places →

More climate change data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa?
Forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa was 87,195 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 150,794 kt in 2010.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 87,195 kt in 2023.
How does Africa rank for forest fires — emissions (co2eq)?
Africa ranks 4th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is forest fires — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
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