Annual area burnt per wildfire in United States
United States: Annual area burnt per wildfire was 455.79 in 2026. ▲ Rising
Latest (2026)
455.79
Change on year
up 25.5%
World rank
17th
of 182 countries
All-time high
478.33
in 2020
All-time low
323.77
in 2023
Years of data
15
2012–2026
Annual area burnt per wildfire in United States, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt per wildfire in United States stood at 455.79.
The figure is up 25.5% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire in United States peaked at 478.33 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 323.77, in 2023.
United States ranks 17th of 182 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt per wildfire in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 431.16 | — |
| 2013 | 343.37 | -20.4% |
| 2014 | 325.28 | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 413.24 | +27.0% |
| 2016 | 341.89 | -17.3% |
| 2017 | 401.93 | +17.6% |
| 2018 | 397.68 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 327.37 | -17.7% |
| 2020 | 478.33 | +46.1% |
| 2021 | 422.06 | -11.8% |
| 2022 | 373.1 | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 323.77 | -13.2% |
| 2024 | 440.96 | +36.2% |
| 2025 | 363.25 | -17.6% |
| 2026 | 455.79 | +25.5% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 455.79 is above the median for high income countries, which is 212.67, 2.1× the median. (59 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 372.74 | 325.28 | 431.16 | 8 |
| 2020s | 408.18 | 323.77 | 478.33 | 7 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt per wildfire in United States?
- Annual area burnt per wildfire in United States was 455.79 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt per wildfire recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 478.33 in 2020.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 323.77 in 2023.
- How does United States rank for annual area burnt per wildfire?
- United States ranks 17th out of 182 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt per wildfire rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt per wildfire. 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).