Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in India
India: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 3.46 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in India, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
India recorded 3.46 million hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2024.
The figure is down 14.5% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in India peaked at 6.79 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.09 million hectares, in 2002.
India ranks 28th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.53 million hectares | 2.09 million hectares | 5.64 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 4.87 million hectares | 3.86 million hectares | 5.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.91 million hectares | 3.46 million hectares | 6.79 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
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Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in India?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in India was 3.46 million hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 6.79 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.09 million hectares in 2002.
- How does India rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- India ranks 28th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires by region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.