Annual area burnt by wildfires in Iraq
Iraq: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 94,718 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Iraq, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 94,718 hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 55.2% on the previous year and down 78.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Iraq peaked at 778,327 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 94,718 hectares, in 2026.
Iraq ranks 72nd of 248 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Iraq, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 209,763 hectares | — |
| 2013 | 198,679 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 289,817 hectares | +45.9% |
| 2015 | 488,802 hectares | +68.7% |
| 2016 | 441,051 hectares | -9.8% |
| 2017 | 271,973 hectares | -38.3% |
| 2018 | 353,772 hectares | +30.1% |
| 2019 | 778,327 hectares | +120.0% |
| 2020 | 556,646 hectares | -28.5% |
| 2021 | 404,795 hectares | -27.3% |
| 2022 | 302,593 hectares | -25.2% |
| 2023 | 255,105 hectares | -15.7% |
| 2024 | 262,314 hectares | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 211,318 hectares | -19.4% |
| 2026 | 94,718 hectares | -55.2% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 94,718 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38,000 hectares, 2.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 94,718 hectares is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 984 hectares, 96.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 379,023 hectares | 198,679 hectares | 778,327 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 298,213 hectares | 94,718 hectares | 556,646 hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More reference data data for Iraq
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2116 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3911 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7096 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.235 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 30.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Iraq?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Iraq was 94,718 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 778,327 hectares in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 94,718 hectares in 2026.
- How does Iraq rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Iraq ranks 72nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 78.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq 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.
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About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.