Annual area burnt by wildfires in Greece
Greece: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 28,805 hectares in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Greece, 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 Greece is 28,805 hectares, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 31.7% on the previous year and down 67.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Greece peaked at 169,195 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 28,805 hectares, in 2026.
That places Greece 93rd 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 Greece, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 100,809 hectares | — |
| 2013 | 65,619 hectares | -34.9% |
| 2014 | 52,511 hectares | -20.0% |
| 2015 | 55,880 hectares | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 87,679 hectares | +56.9% |
| 2017 | 50,954 hectares | -41.9% |
| 2018 | 32,385 hectares | -36.4% |
| 2019 | 31,538 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 34,811 hectares | +10.4% |
| 2021 | 135,748 hectares | +290.0% |
| 2022 | 43,526 hectares | -67.9% |
| 2023 | 169,195 hectares | +288.7% |
| 2024 | 48,429 hectares | -71.4% |
| 2025 | 42,189 hectares | -12.9% |
| 2026 | 28,805 hectares | -31.7% |
Greece compared with similar countries
- Greece's 28,805 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 273 hectares, 105.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Greece's 28,805 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,034 hectares, 9.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires in Greece 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 | +290.0% | 34,811 hectares | 135,748 hectares |
| 2023 | +288.7% | 43,526 hectares | 169,195 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 59,672 hectares | 31,538 hectares | 100,809 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 71,815 hectares | 28,805 hectares | 169,195 hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Greece
- 90 Dominican Republic 32,061 hectares compare
- 91 Albania 31,801 hectares compare
- 92 Uzbekistan 28,940 hectares compare
- 94 United Kingdom 28,299 hectares compare
- 95 Tunisia 28,228 hectares compare
- 96 North Macedonia 24,812 hectares compare
More reference data data for Greece
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2183 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.19 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Greece?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Greece was 28,805 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 Greece?
- The highest recorded value was 169,195 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Greece?
- The lowest recorded value was 28,805 hectares in 2026.
- How does Greece rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Greece ranks 93rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Greece?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Greece 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.