Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in Africa

Africa: Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 was 46,775 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
46,775 kt
Change on year
down 16.3%
Rank
4th
of 32 groups
All-time high
112,809 kt
in 1998
All-time low
46,775 kt
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in Africa, 1990–2023

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k1990200620231990: 72.5k kt1991: 72.5k kt1992: 72.5k kt1993: 72.5k kt1994: 72.5k kt1995: 72.5k kt1996: 72.7k kt1997: 85.9k kt1998: 112.8k kt1999: 103.6k kt2000: 77.7k kt2001: 53.6k kt2002: 52.0k kt2003: 70.8k kt2004: 68.2k kt2005: 77.4k kt2006: 68.2k kt2007: 69.3k kt2008: 72.9k kt2009: 65.9k kt2010: 80.9k kt2011: 79.5k kt2012: 80.4k kt2013: 74.4k kt2014: 69.9k kt2015: 74.3k kt2016: 77.8k kt2017: 77.2k kt2018: 68.4k kt2019: 70.4k kt2020: 66.1k kt2021: 62.3k kt2022: 55.9k kt2023: 46.8k kt

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for forest fires — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 in Africa is 46,775 kt, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.

The figure is down 16.3% on the previous year and down 37.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 in Africa peaked at 112,809 kt in 1998 and was at its lowest, 46,775 kt, in 2023.

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

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

Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) in Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 72,477 kt
1991 72,477 kt +0.0%
1992 72,477 kt +0.0%
1993 72,477 kt +0.0%
1994 72,477 kt +0.0%
1995 72,477 kt +0.0%
1996 72,697 kt +0.3%
1997 85,900 kt +18.2%
1998 112,809 kt +31.3%
1999 103,565 kt -8.2%
2000 77,692 kt -25.0%
2001 53,634 kt -31.0%
2002 52,021 kt -3.0%
2003 70,792 kt +36.1%
2004 68,204 kt -3.7%
2005 77,446 kt +13.5%
2006 68,232 kt -11.9%
2007 69,305 kt +1.6%
2008 72,873 kt +5.1%
2009 65,920 kt -9.5%
2010 80,893 kt +22.7%
2011 79,480 kt -1.7%
2012 80,414 kt +1.2%
2013 74,444 kt -7.4%
2014 69,895 kt -6.1%
2015 74,335 kt +6.4%
2016 77,794 kt +4.7%
2017 77,194 kt -0.8%
2018 68,439 kt -11.3%
2019 70,373 kt +2.8%
2020 66,143 kt -6.0%
2021 62,296 kt -5.8%
2022 55,907 kt -10.3%
2023 46,775 kt -16.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 80,983 kt 72,477 kt 112,809 kt 10
2000s 67,612 kt 52,021 kt 77,692 kt 10
2010s 75,326 kt 68,439 kt 80,893 kt 10
2020s 57,780 kt 46,775 kt 66,143 kt 4

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 OECD 10,966 kt compare
  2. 2 Central African Republic 8,440 kt compare
  3. 3 Zambia 8,015 kt compare
  4. 4 Mozambique 7,581 kt compare
  5. 5 Canada 7,467 kt compare
  6. 6 Brazil 5,478 kt compare
  7. 7 Angola 5,444 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) from ch4 in Africa?
Forest fires — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 in Africa was 46,775 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 112,809 kt in 1998.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 46,775 kt in 2023.
How does Africa rank for forest fires — emissions (co2eq) from ch4?
Africa ranks 4th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is forest fires — emissions (co2eq) from ch4 rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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) from CH4 (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 in 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-co2eq-from-ch4-ar5-fao-tier-1/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — 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
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