Annual area burnt by wildfires in China
China: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 2.34 million in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
2.34 million
Change on year
down 20.8%
World rank
21st
of 248 countries
All-time high
5.54 million
in 2014
All-time low
1.44 million
in 2018
Years of data
15
2012–2026
Annual area burnt by wildfires in China, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 2.34 million for annual area burnt by wildfires in 2026.
The figure is down 20.8% on the previous year and down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in China peaked at 5.54 million in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1.44 million, in 2018.
That places China 21st out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2.55 million | — |
| 2013 | 3.55 million | +38.9% |
| 2014 | 5.54 million | +56.0% |
| 2015 | 4.72 million | -14.8% |
| 2016 | 2.69 million | -43.0% |
| 2017 | 3.83 million | +42.3% |
| 2018 | 1.44 million | -62.3% |
| 2019 | 2.68 million | +85.7% |
| 2020 | 3.03 million | +13.0% |
| 2021 | 2.57 million | -15.3% |
| 2022 | 2.53 million | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 2.70 million | +6.7% |
| 2024 | 2.72 million | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 2.96 million | +8.8% |
| 2026 | 2.34 million | -20.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2.34 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 39,413, 59.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 2.34 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5,676, 412.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.37 million | 1.44 million | 5.54 million | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.69 million | 2.34 million | 3.03 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in China?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in China was 2.34 million in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 5.54 million in 2014.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.44 million in 2018.
- How does China rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- China ranks 21st out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).