Annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany
Germany: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 8,517 hectares in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany is 8,517 hectares, measured in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 19.6% on the previous year and up 335.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany peaked at 10,595 hectares in 2025 and was at its lowest, 948 hectares, in 2021.
That places Germany 114th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,888 hectares | — |
| 2013 | 2,204 hectares | +16.7% |
| 2014 | 1,315 hectares | -40.3% |
| 2015 | 2,415 hectares | +83.7% |
| 2016 | 1,955 hectares | -19.0% |
| 2017 | 1,103 hectares | -43.6% |
| 2018 | 9,522 hectares | +763.3% |
| 2019 | 6,227 hectares | -34.6% |
| 2020 | 2,621 hectares | -57.9% |
| 2021 | 948 hectares | -63.8% |
| 2022 | 10,448 hectares | +1002.1% |
| 2023 | 5,406 hectares | -48.3% |
| 2024 | 5,907 hectares | +9.3% |
| 2025 | 10,595 hectares | +79.4% |
| 2026 | 8,517 hectares | -19.6% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 8,517 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 273 hectares, 31.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Germany's 8,517 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,034 hectares, 2.8× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +1002.1% | 948 hectares | 10,448 hectares |
| 2018 | +763.3% | 1,103 hectares | 9,522 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3,329 hectares | 1,103 hectares | 9,522 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 6,349 hectares | 948 hectares | 10,595 hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 15.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 9.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 80.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.56 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Germany was 8,517 hectares in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 10,595 hectares in 2025.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 948 hectares in 2021.
- How does Germany rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Germany ranks 114th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 335.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany 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. 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).
About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.