Nigeria vs United States: Annual area burnt by wildfires
Nigeria
2.81 million hectares
in 2026
United States
2.65 million hectares
in 2026
Nigeria rank
12th
United States rank
14th
Annual area burnt by wildfires over time
- Nigeria
- United States
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 2.81 million hectares against 2.65 million hectares in United States, a difference of 154,980 hectares.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was United States ahead.
Nigeria ranks 12th and United States ranks 14th of 248 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.84 million hectares | 5.63 million hectares | 210,955 hectares | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 5.86 million hectares | 4.90 million hectares | 955,706 hectares | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires, Nigeria or United States?
- Nigeria, at 2.81 million hectares against 2.65 million hectares in United States as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Nigeria and United States?
- 154,980 hectares, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and United States?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Nigeria and United States rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Nigeria ranks 12th 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.