Wildfire area burned by land cover type in China
China: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 2,297 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in China, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for wildfire area burned by land cover type in China is 2,297 hectares, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 33.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type in China peaked at 3,971 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 472.25 hectares, in 2020.
That places China 27th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in China, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1,481 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 3,091 hectares | +108.7% |
| 2004 | 1,868 hectares | -39.6% |
| 2005 | 3,048 hectares | +63.2% |
| 2006 | 2,791 hectares | -8.5% |
| 2007 | 1,932 hectares | -30.8% |
| 2008 | 1,481 hectares | -23.3% |
| 2009 | 2,855 hectares | +92.8% |
| 2010 | 1,653 hectares | -42.1% |
| 2011 | 1,932 hectares | +16.9% |
| 2012 | 1,653 hectares | -14.4% |
| 2013 | 2,533 hectares | +53.2% |
| 2014 | 2,683 hectares | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 1,717 hectares | -36.0% |
| 2016 | 665.44 hectares | -61.2% |
| 2017 | 3,971 hectares | +496.8% |
| 2018 | 1,331 hectares | -66.5% |
| 2019 | 1,181 hectares | -11.3% |
| 2020 | 472.25 hectares | -60.0% |
| 2021 | 643.98 hectares | +36.4% |
| 2022 | 1,073 hectares | +66.7% |
| 2023 | 1,846 hectares | +72.0% |
| 2024 | 2,340 hectares | +26.7% |
| 2025 | 2,297 hectares | -1.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2,297 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.47 hectares, 107.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wildfire area burned by land cover type in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +496.8% | 665.44 hectares | 3,971 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,318 hectares | 1,481 hectares | 3,091 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 1,932 hectares | 665.44 hectares | 3,971 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,445 hectares | 472.25 hectares | 2,340 hectares | 6 |
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 wildfire area burned by land cover type in China?
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type in China was 2,297 hectares in 2025, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3,971 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 472.25 hectares in 2020.
- How does China rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
- China ranks 27th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.8%. 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 Wildfire area burned by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.