Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in China, mainland

China, mainland: Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) was 672.74 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
672.74 kt
Change on year
up 144.9%
World rank
23rd
of 219 countries
All-time high
1,763 kt
in 2008
All-time low
267.25 kt
in 2017
Years of data
34
1990–2023

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

5001.0k1.5k2.0k1990200620231990: 792.5 kt1991: 792.5 kt1992: 792.5 kt1993: 792.5 kt1994: 792.5 kt1995: 792.5 kt1996: 1.3k kt1997: 1.4k kt1998: 1.6k kt1999: 1.5k kt2000: 1.7k kt2001: 650 kt2002: 361.5 kt2003: 1.2k kt2004: 1.0k kt2005: 623.1 kt2006: 456.3 kt2007: 643.7 kt2008: 1.8k kt2009: 792.1 kt2010: 892.6 kt2011: 546.3 kt2012: 403.6 kt2013: 427.4 kt2014: 800.4 kt2015: 465.7 kt2016: 524.6 kt2017: 267.3 kt2018: 557.4 kt2019: 576.3 kt2020: 612.8 kt2021: 459.8 kt2022: 274.7 kt2023: 672.7 kt

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

Analysis

China, mainland recorded 672.74 kt for forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in 2023.

That represents a change of up 144.9% on the previous year and up 57.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in China, mainland peaked at 1,763 kt in 2008 and was at its lowest, 267.25 kt, in 2017.

That places China, mainland 23rd out of 219 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in China, mainland, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in China, mainland, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 792.47 kt
1991 792.47 kt +0.0%
1992 792.47 kt +0.0%
1993 792.47 kt +0.0%
1994 792.47 kt +0.0%
1995 792.47 kt +0.0%
1996 1,300 kt +64.0%
1997 1,376 kt +5.9%
1998 1,618 kt +17.5%
1999 1,483 kt -8.3%
2000 1,674 kt +12.9%
2001 649.98 kt -61.2%
2002 361.52 kt -44.4%
2003 1,202 kt +232.5%
2004 1,041 kt -13.4%
2005 623.06 kt -40.2%
2006 456.25 kt -26.8%
2007 643.68 kt +41.1%
2008 1,763 kt +173.9%
2009 792.1 kt -55.1%
2010 892.55 kt +12.7%
2011 546.34 kt -38.8%
2012 403.6 kt -26.1%
2013 427.45 kt +5.9%
2014 800.44 kt +87.3%
2015 465.73 kt -41.8%
2016 524.57 kt +12.6%
2017 267.25 kt -49.1%
2018 557.38 kt +108.6%
2019 576.29 kt +3.4%
2020 612.84 kt +6.3%
2021 459.8 kt -25.0%
2022 274.69 kt -40.3%
2023 672.74 kt +144.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,053 kt 792.47 kt 1,618 kt 10
2000s 920.7 kt 361.52 kt 1,763 kt 10
2010s 546.16 kt 267.25 kt 892.55 kt 10
2020s 505.02 kt 274.69 kt 672.74 kt 4

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 20 Australia 980 kt compare
  2. 21 Ethiopia 900.21 kt compare
  3. 22 Madagascar 727.78 kt compare
  4. 23 China (People’s Republic of) 672.74 kt compare
  5. 25 Honduras 665.83 kt compare
  6. 26 Cameroon 627.74 kt compare

See the full ranking of 273 places →

More climate change data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in China, mainland?
Forest fires — emissions (co2eq) in China, mainland was 672.74 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — emissions (co2eq) recorded in China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 1,763 kt in 2008.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions (co2eq) recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 267.25 kt in 2017.
How does China, mainland rank for forest fires — emissions (co2eq)?
China, mainland ranks 23rd out of 219 countries with data for 2023.
Is forest fires — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is up 57.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China, mainland 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 China, mainland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/china-mainland/

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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