China vs United States of America: Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year
China
0.2%
in 2026
United States of America
0.3%
in 2026
China rank
85th
United States of America rank
82nd
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year over time
- China
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 0.3% against 0.2% in China, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes United States of America's figure about 1.3 times China's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was United States of America ahead.
China ranks 85th and United States of America ranks 82nd of 236 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.2% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.2% | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year, China or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 0.3% against 0.2% in China as of 2026.
- What is the difference in share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year between China and United States of America?
- 0.1%, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do China and United States of America rank globally for share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year?
- China ranks 85th and United States of America ranks 82nd of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total area consumed by wildfires is recorded for each fire event, even if fires occur in the same location multiple times. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 28 August 2026.