Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in New Zealand
New Zealand: Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires was 93 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in New Zealand, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in New Zealand stood at 93.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.1% on the previous year and down 49.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in New Zealand peaked at 237 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 82, in 2024.
New Zealand ranks 87th of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 212 | — |
| 2013 | 237 | +11.8% |
| 2014 | 236 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 233 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 185 | -20.6% |
| 2017 | 152 | -17.8% |
| 2018 | 144 | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 237 | +64.6% |
| 2020 | 177 | -25.3% |
| 2021 | 173 | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 160 | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 96 | -40.0% |
| 2024 | 82 | -14.6% |
| 2025 | 139 | +69.5% |
| 2026 | 93 | -33.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 204.5 | 144 | 237 | 8 |
| 2020s | 131.43 | 82 | 177 | 7 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 84 Mongolia 122 compare
- 85 Mauritania 97 compare
- 86 Turkmenistan 94 compare
- 87 Syrian Arab Republic 93 compare
- 89 Burundi 88 compare
- 90 Ecuador 84 compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in New Zealand?
- Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in New Zealand was 93 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 237 in 2013.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 82 in 2024.
- How does New Zealand rank for annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires?
- New Zealand ranks 87th out of 241 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from 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).