Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ireland
Ireland: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 5,655 hectares in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ireland, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 5,655 hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires in 2026.
That represents a change of down 13.6% on the previous year and up 120.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Ireland peaked at 17,250 hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 208 hectares, in 2024.
That places Ireland 123rd 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3,106 hectares | — |
| 2013 | 6,974 hectares | +124.5% |
| 2014 | 1,078 hectares | -84.5% |
| 2015 | 17,250 hectares | +1500.2% |
| 2016 | 2,564 hectares | -85.1% |
| 2017 | 9,511 hectares | +270.9% |
| 2018 | 4,305 hectares | -54.7% |
| 2019 | 3,096 hectares | -28.1% |
| 2020 | 3,901 hectares | +26.0% |
| 2021 | 3,717 hectares | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 3,987 hectares | +7.3% |
| 2023 | 1,332 hectares | -66.6% |
| 2024 | 208 hectares | -84.4% |
| 2025 | 6,543 hectares | +3045.7% |
| 2026 | 5,655 hectares | -13.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5,655 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 273 hectares, 20.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5,655 hectares is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,034 hectares, 1.9× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +3045.7% | 208 hectares | 6,543 hectares |
| 2015 | +1500.2% | 1,078 hectares | 17,250 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5,986 hectares | 1,078 hectares | 17,250 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 3,620 hectares | 208 hectares | 6,543 hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Ireland?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ireland was 5,655 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 17,250 hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 208 hectares in 2024.
- How does Ireland rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Ireland ranks 123rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 120.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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.