Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan
Japan: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 7,255 hectares in 2025. ▬ Flat
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan stood at 7,255 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 35.0% on the previous year and down 39.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan peaked at 21,616 hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3,048 hectares, in 2012.
Japan ranks 112th of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 13,609 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 13,717 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 6,096 hectares | -55.6% |
| 2005 | 10,110 hectares | +65.8% |
| 2006 | 14,039 hectares | +38.9% |
| 2007 | 14,618 hectares | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 12,794 hectares | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 18,911 hectares | +47.8% |
| 2010 | 11,441 hectares | -39.5% |
| 2011 | 14,382 hectares | +25.7% |
| 2012 | 3,048 hectares | -78.8% |
| 2013 | 16,572 hectares | +443.7% |
| 2014 | 21,230 hectares | +28.1% |
| 2015 | 12,042 hectares | -43.3% |
| 2016 | 4,121 hectares | -65.8% |
| 2017 | 8,286 hectares | +101.0% |
| 2018 | 18,847 hectares | +127.5% |
| 2019 | 13,502 hectares | -28.4% |
| 2020 | 15,241 hectares | +12.9% |
| 2021 | 7,341 hectares | -51.8% |
| 2022 | 21,616 hectares | +194.4% |
| 2023 | 11,828 hectares | -45.3% |
| 2024 | 11,162 hectares | -5.6% |
| 2025 | 7,255 hectares | -35.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 7,255 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.86 hectares, 84.5× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Japan's 7,255 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 665.44 hectares, 10.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +443.7% | 3,048 hectares | 16,572 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12,987 hectares | 6,096 hectares | 18,911 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 12,347 hectares | 3,048 hectares | 21,230 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,407 hectares | 7,255 hectares | 21,616 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Japan was 7,255 hectares in 2025, 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 21,616 hectares in 2022.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,048 hectares in 2012.
- How does Japan rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Japan ranks 112th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Japan 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.