Russia vs United States: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Russia
1.16 million hectares
in 2025
United States
1.13 million hectares
in 2025
Russia rank
24th
United States rank
25th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Russia
- United States
How they compare
Russia currently reports 1.16 million hectares against 1.13 million hectares in United States, a difference of 29,430 hectares.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Russia ahead.
Russia ranks 24th and United States ranks 25th 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 | 1.91 million hectares | 1.53 million hectares | 382,770 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?
- Russia, at 1.16 million hectares against 1.13 million hectares in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Russia and United States?
- 29,430 hectares, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Russia and United States rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Russia ranks 24th 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.