Russia vs United States: Tree cover loss from wildfires
Russia
4.20 million hectares
in 2024
United States
530,978 hectares
in 2024
Russia rank
2nd
United States rank
5th
Tree cover loss from wildfires over time
- Russia
- United States
How they compare
Russia currently reports 4.20 million hectares against 530,978 hectares in United States, a difference of 3.67 million hectares.
That makes Russia's figure about 7.9 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2001 it was Russia ahead.
Russia ranks 2nd and United States ranks 5th of 152 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 | 1.77 million hectares | 597,469 hectares | 1.17 million hectares | Russia |
| 2010s | 3.04 million hectares | 527,084 hectares | 2.51 million hectares | Russia |
| 2020s | 3.88 million hectares | 672,159 hectares | 3.21 million hectares | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher tree cover loss from wildfires, Russia or United States?
- Russia, at 4.20 million hectares against 530,978 hectares in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in tree cover loss from wildfires between Russia and United States?
- 3.67 million hectares, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2024.
- How do Russia and United States rank globally for tree cover loss from wildfires?
- Russia ranks 2nd 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).