Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada
Canada: Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis was 4.42 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada, 2002–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada stood at 4.42 million.
That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and up 49.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada peaked at 13.32 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 263,773, in 2020.
That places Canada 17th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2.48 million | — |
| 2003 | 1.88 million | -24.4% |
| 2004 | 2.32 million | +23.6% |
| 2005 | 1.51 million | -35.1% |
| 2006 | 1.89 million | +25.4% |
| 2007 | 1.37 million | -27.7% |
| 2008 | 1.49 million | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 685,319 | -54.0% |
| 2010 | 2.53 million | +268.5% |
| 2011 | 1.64 million | -35.1% |
| 2012 | 1.57 million | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 3.84 million | +144.8% |
| 2014 | 3.16 million | -17.9% |
| 2015 | 2.96 million | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 966,908 | -67.3% |
| 2017 | 2.94 million | +203.8% |
| 2018 | 1.81 million | -38.4% |
| 2019 | 1.28 million | -29.3% |
| 2020 | 263,773 | -79.4% |
| 2021 | 3.63 million | +1276.2% |
| 2022 | 1.20 million | -66.9% |
| 2023 | 13.32 million | +1009.8% |
| 2024 | 4.62 million | -65.3% |
| 2025 | 4.42 million | -4.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 4.42 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.86, 51479.3× the median. (79 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +1276.2% | 263,773 | 3.63 million |
| 2023 | +1009.8% | 1.20 million | 13.32 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.70 million | 685,319 | 2.48 million | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.27 million | 966,908 | 3.84 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.58 million | 263,773 | 13.32 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Canada was 4.42 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 13.32 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 263,773 in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for annual area burnt by wildfires gwis?
- Canada ranks 17th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).