Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in China
China: Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires was 7,671 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in China, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in China stood at 7,671 wildfires.
The figure is down 23.8% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in China peaked at 21,226 wildfires in 2014 and was at its lowest, 7,314 wildfires, in 2018.
That places China 17th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in China, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 10,192 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 14,528 wildfires | +42.5% |
| 2014 | 21,226 wildfires | +46.1% |
| 2015 | 17,291 wildfires | -18.5% |
| 2016 | 11,203 wildfires | -35.2% |
| 2017 | 14,657 wildfires | +30.8% |
| 2018 | 7,314 wildfires | -50.1% |
| 2019 | 10,557 wildfires | +44.3% |
| 2020 | 10,108 wildfires | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 9,243 wildfires | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 9,769 wildfires | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 9,459 wildfires | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 8,994 wildfires | -4.9% |
| 2025 | 10,063 wildfires | +11.9% |
| 2026 | 7,671 wildfires | -23.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 7,671 wildfires is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 105.5 wildfires, 72.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 7,671 wildfires is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12 wildfires, 639.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13,371 wildfires | 7,314 wildfires | 21,226 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 9,330 wildfires | 7,671 wildfires | 10,108 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in China?
- Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in China was 7,671 wildfires in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 21,226 wildfires in 2014.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,314 wildfires in 2018.
- How does China rank for annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires?
- China ranks 17th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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 per wildfire vs. number of fires. 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
Number of wildfires. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.