Annual area burnt by wildfires in South Korea
South Korea: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 3,045 in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires in South Korea, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires in South Korea is 3,045, measured in 2026.
The figure is down 95.6% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in South Korea peaked at 69,761 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 48, in 2024.
South Korea ranks 132nd of 248 countries on this measure, 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,089 | — |
| 2013 | 3,773 | +246.5% |
| 2014 | 7,548 | +100.1% |
| 2015 | 7,050 | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 3,943 | -44.1% |
| 2017 | 8,583 | +117.7% |
| 2018 | 3,378 | -60.6% |
| 2019 | 6,606 | +95.6% |
| 2020 | 7,869 | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 1,476 | -81.2% |
| 2022 | 35,502 | +2305.3% |
| 2023 | 5,361 | -84.9% |
| 2024 | 48 | -99.1% |
| 2025 | 69,761 | +145235.4% |
| 2026 | 3,045 | -95.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3,045 is above the median for high income countries, which is 273, 11.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 3,045 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5,676, 54% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires in South Korea 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 | +145235.4% | 48 | 69,761 |
| 2022 | +2305.3% | 1,476 | 35,502 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5,246 | 1,089 | 8,583 | 8 |
| 2020s | 17,580 | 48 | 69,761 | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 31.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 880.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 12,007 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 6,875 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 2,038 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in South Korea?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in South Korea was 3,045 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 69,761 in 2025.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 48 in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- South Korea ranks 132nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea 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).