Annual area burnt by wildfires in Japan
Japan: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 15,150 hectares in 2026. ▲ Rising
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Japan, 2012–2026
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 Japan stood at 15,150 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 113.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Japan peaked at 18,456 hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4,656 hectares, in 2012.
Japan ranks 104th of 248 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Japan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4,656 hectares | — |
| 2013 | 8,339 hectares | +79.1% |
| 2014 | 16,322 hectares | +95.7% |
| 2015 | 16,638 hectares | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 7,106 hectares | -57.3% |
| 2017 | 4,702 hectares | -33.8% |
| 2018 | 17,344 hectares | +268.9% |
| 2019 | 12,490 hectares | -28.0% |
| 2020 | 16,543 hectares | +32.4% |
| 2021 | 6,062 hectares | -63.4% |
| 2022 | 18,456 hectares | +204.5% |
| 2023 | 8,550 hectares | -53.7% |
| 2024 | 7,430 hectares | -13.1% |
| 2025 | 14,921 hectares | +100.8% |
| 2026 | 15,150 hectares | +1.5% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 15,150 hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 273 hectares, 55.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 15,150 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,872 hectares, 5.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10,950 hectares | 4,656 hectares | 17,344 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 12,445 hectares | 6,062 hectares | 18,456 hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 101 New Zealand 17,103 hectares compare
- 102 Azerbaijan 16,631 hectares compare
- 103 Belarus 15,617 hectares compare
- 105 Georgia 13,574 hectares compare
- 106 North Korea 13,509 hectares compare
- 107 Vanuatu 13,133 hectares compare
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Japan?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Japan was 15,150 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 18,456 hectares in 2022.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,656 hectares in 2012.
- How does Japan rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Japan ranks 104th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 113.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.