Ethiopia vs United States: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Ethiopia
1.01 million hectares
in 2025
United States
1.13 million hectares
in 2025
Ethiopia rank
28th
United States rank
25th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Ethiopia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.13 million hectares against 1.01 million hectares in Ethiopia, a difference of 125,230 hectares.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Ethiopia's.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Ethiopia ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 28th and United States ranks 25th of 225 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.13 million hectares | 1.41 million hectares | 281,876 hectares | United States |
| 2010s | 1.15 million hectares | 1.51 million hectares | 355,938 hectares | United States |
| 2020s | 1.01 million hectares | 1.53 million hectares | 520,008 hectares | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Ethiopia or United States?
- United States, at 1.13 million hectares against 1.01 million hectares in Ethiopia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Ethiopia and United States?
- 125,230 hectares, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Ethiopia and United States rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Ethiopia ranks 28th and United States ranks 25th of 225 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Area burned by wildfires by land cover type. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.