Annual area burnt by wildfires in Italy

Italy: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 79,084 hectares in 2026. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2026)
79,084 hectares
Change on year
down 38.2%
World rank
70th
of 248 countries
All-time high
342,084 hectares
in 2017
All-time low
61,279 hectares
in 2018
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual area burnt by wildfires in Italy, 2012–2026

100.0k200.0k300.0k2012201920262012: 283.3k hectares2013: 92.3k hectares2014: 106.7k hectares2015: 107.5k hectares2016: 116.9k hectares2017: 342.1k hectares2018: 61.3k hectares2019: 115.8k hectares2020: 108.0k hectares2021: 247.6k hectares2022: 136.7k hectares2023: 172.1k hectares2024: 74.6k hectares2025: 128.0k hectares2026: 79.1k hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2026, annual area burnt by wildfires in Italy stood at 79,084 hectares.

That represents a change of down 38.2% on the previous year and down 32.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Italy peaked at 342,084 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 61,279 hectares, in 2018.

That places Italy 70th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 153,238 hectares 61,279 hectares 342,084 hectares 8
2020s 135,169 hectares 74,602 hectares 247,622 hectares 7

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 67 Gambia 97,664 hectares compare
  2. 68 Niger 87,000 hectares compare
  3. 69 Pakistan 80,485 hectares compare
  4. 71 Iraq 74,612 hectares compare
  5. 72 Malawi 67,365 hectares compare
  6. 73 Kenya 63,279 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Italy?
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Italy was 79,084 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 Italy?
The highest recorded value was 342,084 hectares in 2017.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 61,279 hectares in 2018.
How does Italy rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
Italy ranks 70th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Italy 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

Indicator
Annual area burnt by wildfires
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
248 places, 3,720 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed

Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.