ChilliFacts

Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) Scoville Heat

Ghost Pepper measures 855,000–1,041,427 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,001,304 SHU: about 200× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #8 among verified peppers.

Also called Bhut Jolokia, Naga Jolokia. Capsicum chinense (with RAPD evidence of introgression from C. frutescens).

Data checked October 20, 2026 · How we rank and verify

Two ripe red ghost peppers (Bhut Jolokia) held in a hand
Two ripe red ghost peppers (Bhut Jolokia) held in a hand. Photo: PepperParadise, CC BY-SA 3.0.
1,001,304 SHUTypical heat
855,000–1,041,427 SHUMeasured range
200×Against a jalapeño
Lab testedStatus
Pepper X: 2,693,000 SHUDragon's Breath: 2,480,000 SHUCarolina Reaper: 1,641,183 SHUTrinidad Scorpion Butch T: 1,463,700 SHU7 Pot Primo: 1,400,000 SHUKomodo Dragon: 1,400,000 SHUNaga Viper: 1,382,118 SHUTrinidad Moruga Scorpion: 1,200,000 SHUInfinity: 1,176,182 SHU7 Pot Brain Strain: 1,175,000 SHU7 Pot Douglah: 1,170,000 SHUDorset Naga: 1,032,310 SHUNaga Morich: 1,000,000 SHUDalle Khursani: 393,950 SHUFatalii: 262,500 SHURed Savina: 248,556 SHUHabanero: 225,000 SHUScotch Bonnet: 225,000 SHUDatil: 200,000 SHUKanthari: 80,640 SHUBird's Eye Chilli: 75,000 SHUCayenne: 40,000 SHUTabasco: 40,000 SHUGuntur Chilli: 36,160 SHUKashmiri Chilli: 20,800 SHUSerrano: 15,000 SHUByadgi Chilli: 10,000 SHUJalapeño: 5,000 SHUGhost Pepper · 1M1K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Ghost Pepper sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

1,001,304 SHU was NMSU's HPLC result for bulked samples (25 random mature fruits from at least 10 plants, in each of 5 replications) grown at Las Cruces in 2005. Two commercial labs tested the same ground fruit at 927,199 and 879,953 SHU. NMSU's 2012 study found a mean of 'almost 1.02 million'. A 2016 PLoS One survey of Northeast Indian accessions found 272,897 to 1,037,305 SHU, so the landrace varies widely. The 855,000 low end is Mathur et al. (2000), as cited by Bosland & Baral. The 1,041,427 high end is from UF/IFAS.

Origin

Northeast India: Assam, Nagaland and Manipur (also Meghalaya, Mizoram and the Sylhet region of Bangladesh). A traditional landrace of Northeast India. The record did not come from a farm in India. A Chile Pepper Institute member collected seed while visiting India and sent it to NMSU in 2001. Poor fruit set meant it took years to bulk up seed. NMSU then grew it in a replicated field trial at Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 2005 and measured it by HPLC. [1]

Flavour and looks

Colours: red (ripe), green (unripe).

Facts

  • NMSU measured 1,001,304 SHU, against 248,556 for Red Savina and 357,729 for orange habanero grown in the same field. The authors converted HPLC parts per million to SHU by multiplying by 16. [1]
  • The pods are 5-8 cm long with an undulating surface and ripen from green to bright red. [1]
  • The name 'jolokia' is Assamese for chilli. Bosland & Baral list 'Naga Jolokia', 'Bhut Jolokia' and 'Bih Jolokia' as names used in Northeast India. [1]
  • DRDO's Capsigrenade, a chilli grenade for riot control, is formulated with oleoresin extracted from Bhut Jolokia. [6]
  • In 2016 a man suffered an oesophageal rupture after violent vomiting caused by eating ghost peppers in a contest (J. Emergency Medicine case report). [7]

Record history

  • 2007: Guinness certifies it as the hottest chilli, based on NMSU's testing (Bosland & Baral, HortScience, April 2007). It replaced Red Savina.
  • 2011-02: Superseded (Infinity, then Naga Viper, then Butch T)

Hotter and milder

Ghost Pepper compared

Compare Ghost Pepper with any other pepper →

Part of our guide to Indian chilli varieties.

Questions

How hot is Ghost Pepper?

Ghost Pepper measures 855,000–1,041,427 SHU, with a typical figure of 1,001,304 SHU. That puts it among the superhots, peppers above 1 million SHU.

How many times hotter is Ghost Pepper than a jalapeño?

About 200× a typical jalapeño (1,001,304 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 125×, and against the mildest about 401×.

Is Ghost Pepper the hottest pepper in the world?

No. It ranks #8 in our verified ranking. The current record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does Ghost Pepper come from?

Northeast India: Assam, Nagaland and Manipur (also Meghalaya, Mizoram and the Sylhet region of Bangladesh). A traditional landrace of Northeast India.

Is the Ghost Pepper heat figure verified?

Lab tested: Measured by a university, government or peer-reviewed lab. 1,001,304 SHU was NMSU's HPLC result for bulked samples (25 random mature fruits from at least 10 plants, in each of 5 replications) grown at Las Cruces in 2005.

Sources

  1. Bosland & Baral, HortScience 42(2):222-224 (2007), New Mexico State University: 1,001,304 SHU; method; independent lab values; seed provenance; species; names
  2. NMSU News Center, 13 Feb 2012 (Chile Pepper Institute study by Bosland, Coon, Reeves): Guinness certification in 2007; 2012 mean of almost 1.02M
  3. Sarpras et al., PLoS One 11(12):e0167791 (2016): Northeast India accession range 272,897-1,037,305 SHU; regional names (Naga King chili, Naga morich, Umorok); Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya
  4. IP India GI Registry, application 109 (Naga Mircha): Naga Mircha GI (Nagaland)
  5. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, 'Peppers Ranked by Heat': 1,041,427 SHU
  6. DRDO, 'Chilli Grenade (Capsigrenade)' product page: chilli grenade
  7. Arens et al., J. Emergency Medicine 51(6):e141-e143 (2016): medical case report