Annual number of wildfires in Canada
Canada: Annual number of wildfires was 3,334 wildfires in 2026. ▲ Rising
Annual number of wildfires in Canada, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
Canada recorded 3,334 wildfires for annual number of wildfires in 2026.
The figure is down 42.9% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Canada peaked at 11,202 wildfires in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,548 wildfires, in 2020.
That places Canada 31st out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Annual number of wildfires in Canada, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3,782 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 5,558 wildfires | +47.0% |
| 2014 | 5,930 wildfires | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 5,859 wildfires | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 3,587 wildfires | -38.8% |
| 2017 | 5,753 wildfires | +60.4% |
| 2018 | 4,359 wildfires | -24.2% |
| 2019 | 2,956 wildfires | -32.2% |
| 2020 | 2,548 wildfires | -13.8% |
| 2021 | 5,495 wildfires | +115.7% |
| 2022 | 2,920 wildfires | -46.9% |
| 2023 | 11,202 wildfires | +283.6% |
| 2024 | 4,608 wildfires | -58.9% |
| 2025 | 5,836 wildfires | +26.6% |
| 2026 | 3,334 wildfires | -42.9% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 3,334 wildfires is above the median for high income countries, which is 1 wildfires, 3334.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4,723 wildfires | 2,956 wildfires | 5,930 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 5,135 wildfires | 2,548 wildfires | 11,202 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of wildfires in Canada?
- Annual number of wildfires in Canada was 3,334 wildfires in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of wildfires recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 11,202 wildfires in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,548 wildfires in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for annual number of wildfires?
- Canada ranks 31st out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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 number of wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.