Annual area burnt by wildfires in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 22,206 hectares in 2026. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2026)
22,206 hectares
Change on year
down 49.1%
World rank
87th
of 248 countries
All-time high
43,629 hectares
in 2025
All-time low
3,912 hectares
in 2024
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual area burnt by wildfires in United Kingdom, 2012–2026

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k2012201920262012: 14.0k hectares2013: 11.3k hectares2014: 5.4k hectares2015: 10.0k hectares2016: 5.9k hectares2017: 13.6k hectares2018: 20.0k hectares2019: 28.1k hectares2020: 13.8k hectares2021: 5.2k hectares2022: 23.2k hectares2023: 10.1k hectares2024: 3.9k hectares2025: 43.6k hectares2026: 22.2k 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 United Kingdom stood at 22,206 hectares.

That represents a change of down 49.1% on the previous year and up 275.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in United Kingdom peaked at 43,629 hectares in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3,912 hectares, in 2024.

United Kingdom ranks 87th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 13,535 hectares 5,415 hectares 28,100 hectares 8
2020s 17,426 hectares 3,912 hectares 43,629 hectares 7

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 84 Uzbekistan 26,945 hectares compare
  2. 85 Syria 26,064 hectares compare
  3. 86 Greece 23,839 hectares compare
  4. 88 Turkmenistan 21,966 hectares compare
  5. 89 Romania 21,091 hectares compare
  6. 90 Dominican Republic 20,543 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires in United Kingdom?
Annual area burnt by wildfires in United Kingdom was 22,206 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 43,629 hectares in 2025.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 3,912 hectares in 2024.
How does United Kingdom rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
United Kingdom ranks 87th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 275.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Kingdom 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.