Brazil vs United States: Tree cover loss from wildfires
Brazil
2.18 million hectares
in 2024
United States
530,978 hectares
in 2024
Brazil rank
3rd
United States rank
5th
Tree cover loss from wildfires over time
- Brazil
- United States
How they compare
Brazil currently reports 2.18 million hectares against 530,978 hectares in United States, a difference of 1.65 million hectares.
That makes Brazil's figure about 4.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2001 it was United States ahead.
Brazil ranks 3rd and United States ranks 5th of 152 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 1 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 69,490 hectares | 597,469 hectares | 527,979 hectares | United States |
| 2010s | 468,010 hectares | 527,084 hectares | 59,074 hectares | United States |
| 2020s | 901,760 hectares | 672,159 hectares | 229,601 hectares | Brazil |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher tree cover loss from wildfires, Brazil or United States?
- Brazil, at 2.18 million hectares against 530,978 hectares in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in tree cover loss from wildfires between Brazil and United States?
- 1.65 million hectares, with Brazil ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2024.
- How do Brazil and United States rank globally for tree cover loss from wildfires?
- Brazil ranks 3rd and United States ranks 5th of 152 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Tree cover loss from wildfires. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Tree cover loss due to fire with no visible human conversion or agricultural activity afterward. Fires may be started by natural causes (e.g. lightning) or may be related to human activities (accidental or deliberate).