Savanna fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in Africa

Africa: Savanna fires — Emissions (CO2eq) was 154,677 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
154,677 kt
Change on year
down 1.5%
Rank
3rd
of 32 groups
All-time high
202,183 kt
in 2005
All-time low
140,149 kt
in 2019
Years of data
34
1990–2023

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

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1990200620231990: 172.5k kt1991: 172.5k kt1992: 172.5k kt1993: 172.5k kt1994: 172.5k kt1995: 172.5k kt1996: 176.1k kt1997: 171.5k kt1998: 193.2k kt1999: 176.9k kt2000: 182.2k kt2001: 157.3k kt2002: 177.6k kt2003: 188.8k kt2004: 182.9k kt2005: 202.2k kt2006: 179.9k kt2007: 188.2k kt2008: 189.5k kt2009: 170.5k kt2010: 186.3k kt2011: 195.5k kt2012: 178.6k kt2013: 170.0k kt2014: 156.1k kt2015: 159.8k kt2016: 166.9k kt2017: 156.6k kt2018: 150.3k kt2019: 140.1k kt2020: 156.6k kt2021: 162.7k kt2022: 157.0k kt2023: 154.7k kt

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

Analysis

In 2023, savanna fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa stood at 154,677 kt.

That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa peaked at 202,183 kt in 2005 and was at its lowest, 140,149 kt, in 2019.

Africa ranks 3rd 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.

Savanna fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Savanna fires — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 172,500 kt
1991 172,500 kt +0.0%
1992 172,500 kt +0.0%
1993 172,500 kt +0.0%
1994 172,500 kt +0.0%
1995 172,500 kt +0.0%
1996 176,141 kt +2.1%
1997 171,543 kt -2.6%
1998 193,226 kt +12.6%
1999 176,917 kt -8.4%
2000 182,165 kt +3.0%
2001 157,333 kt -13.6%
2002 177,585 kt +12.9%
2003 188,822 kt +6.3%
2004 182,919 kt -3.1%
2005 202,183 kt +10.5%
2006 179,860 kt -11.0%
2007 188,237 kt +4.7%
2008 189,523 kt +0.7%
2009 170,528 kt -10.0%
2010 186,264 kt +9.2%
2011 195,480 kt +4.9%
2012 178,561 kt -8.7%
2013 169,966 kt -4.8%
2014 156,110 kt -8.2%
2015 159,795 kt +2.4%
2016 166,911 kt +4.5%
2017 156,581 kt -6.2%
2018 150,326 kt -4.0%
2019 140,149 kt -6.8%
2020 156,641 kt +11.8%
2021 162,654 kt +3.8%
2022 156,999 kt -3.5%
2023 154,677 kt -1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 175,283 kt 171,543 kt 193,226 kt 10
2000s 181,916 kt 157,333 kt 202,183 kt 10
2010s 166,014 kt 140,149 kt 195,480 kt 10
2020s 157,743 kt 154,677 kt 162,654 kt 4

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 OECD 102,966 kt compare
  2. 2 Australia and New Zealand 96,446 kt compare
  3. 3 Australia 96,446 kt compare
  4. 4 Angola 25,275 kt compare
  5. 5 Sudan (former) 22,964 kt compare
  6. 6 South Sudan 16,173 kt compare

See the full ranking of 275 places →

More climate change data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa?
Savanna fires — emissions (co2eq) in Africa was 154,677 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna fires — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 202,183 kt in 2005.
What is the lowest savanna fires — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 140,149 kt in 2019.
How does Africa rank for savanna fires — emissions (co2eq)?
Africa ranks 3rd out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is savanna fires — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. 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 Savanna fires — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Savanna fires — Emissions (CO2eq) in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-fires-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Savanna 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
275 places, 9,129 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