Russia vs United States: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Russia
1.99 million hectares
in 2024
United States
2.24 million hectares
in 2024
Russia rank
21st
United States rank
19th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Russia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 2.24 million hectares against 1.99 million hectares in Russia, a difference of 252,030 hectares.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 23 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Russia ahead.
Russia ranks 21st and United States ranks 19th of 225 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.22 million hectares | 1.41 million hectares | 1.80 million hectares | Russia |
| 2010s | 2.40 million hectares | 1.51 million hectares | 899,056 hectares | Russia |
| 2020s | 2.06 million hectares | 1.61 million hectares | 453,437 hectares | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Russia or United States?
- United States, at 2.24 million hectares against 1.99 million hectares in Russia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Russia and United States?
- 252,030 hectares, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2024.
- How do Russia and United States rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Russia ranks 21st and United States ranks 19th 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.