Brazil vs United States: Annual area burnt by wildfires
Brazil
2.25 million hectares
in 2026
United States
2.65 million hectares
in 2026
Brazil rank
17th
United States rank
14th
Annual area burnt by wildfires over time
- Brazil
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 2.65 million hectares against 2.25 million hectares in Brazil, a difference of 405,400 hectares.
That makes United States's figure about 1.2 times Brazil's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was Brazil ahead.
Brazil ranks 17th and United States ranks 14th of 248 countries.
Brazil has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 31.06 million hectares | 5.63 million hectares | 25.43 million hectares | Brazil |
| 2020s | 26.62 million hectares | 4.90 million hectares | 21.72 million hectares | Brazil |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires, Brazil or United States?
- United States, at 2.65 million hectares against 2.25 million hectares in Brazil as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Brazil and United States?
- 405,400 hectares, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and United States?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Brazil and United States rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Brazil ranks 17th and United States ranks 14th of 248 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.