Canada vs China: Annual area burnt by wildfires
Canada
2.61 million hectares
in 2026
China
2.30 million hectares
in 2026
Canada rank
19th
China rank
21st
Annual area burnt by wildfires over time
- Canada
- China
How they compare
Canada currently reports 2.61 million hectares against 2.30 million hectares in China, a difference of 304,300 hectares.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was China ahead.
Canada ranks 19th and China ranks 21st of 248 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 1 and China in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.13 million hectares | 3.37 million hectares | 239,752 hectares | China |
| 2020s | 5.26 million hectares | 2.69 million hectares | 2.58 million hectares | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires, Canada or China?
- Canada, at 2.61 million hectares against 2.30 million hectares in China as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Canada and China?
- 304,300 hectares, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and China?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Canada and China rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Canada ranks 19th and China ranks 21st 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 18 September 2026.