Annual area burnt by wildfires in India
India: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 4.05 million in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
4.05 million
Change on year
down 13.4%
World rank
12th
of 248 countries
All-time high
11.51 million
in 2021
All-time low
3.85 million
in 2024
Years of data
15
2012–2026
Annual area burnt by wildfires in India, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires in India is 4.05 million, measured in 2026.
That represents a change of down 13.4% on the previous year and down 53.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in India peaked at 11.51 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.85 million, in 2024.
India ranks 12th of 248 countries on this measure, 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 India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8.02 million | — |
| 2013 | 5.62 million | -29.9% |
| 2014 | 6.47 million | +15.1% |
| 2015 | 5.30 million | -18.1% |
| 2016 | 8.62 million | +62.8% |
| 2017 | 7.07 million | -18.1% |
| 2018 | 6.48 million | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 6.16 million | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 5.35 million | -13.2% |
| 2021 | 11.51 million | +115.1% |
| 2022 | 7.61 million | -33.8% |
| 2023 | 5.30 million | -30.4% |
| 2024 | 3.85 million | -27.3% |
| 2025 | 4.68 million | +21.6% |
| 2026 | 4.05 million | -13.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 4.05 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 156,215, 26.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 4.05 million is above the median for South Asia, which is 82,096, 49.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.72 million | 5.30 million | 8.62 million | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.05 million | 3.85 million | 11.51 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in India?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in India was 4.05 million in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 11.51 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.85 million in 2024.
- How does India rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- India ranks 12th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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).