Annual number of wildfires in South Korea
South Korea: Annual number of wildfires was 12 wildfires in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual number of wildfires in South Korea, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 12 wildfires for annual number of wildfires in 2026.
That represents a change of down 76.9% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in South Korea peaked at 52 wildfires in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1 wildfires, in 2024.
South Korea ranks 129th of 248 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual number of wildfires in South Korea, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 16 wildfires | +300.0% |
| 2014 | 19 wildfires | +18.8% |
| 2015 | 24 wildfires | +26.3% |
| 2016 | 13 wildfires | -45.8% |
| 2017 | 21 wildfires | +61.5% |
| 2018 | 9 wildfires | -57.1% |
| 2019 | 23 wildfires | +155.6% |
| 2020 | 27 wildfires | +17.4% |
| 2021 | 8 wildfires | -70.4% |
| 2022 | 34 wildfires | +325.0% |
| 2023 | 16 wildfires | -52.9% |
| 2024 | 1 wildfires | -93.8% |
| 2025 | 52 wildfires | +5100.0% |
| 2026 | 12 wildfires | -76.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 12 wildfires is above the median for high income countries, which is 1 wildfires, 12.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 12 wildfires is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12 wildfires, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual number of wildfires in South Korea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +5100.0% | 1 wildfires | 52 wildfires |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16.12 wildfires | 4 wildfires | 24 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 21.43 wildfires | 1 wildfires | 52 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 126 Bhutan 19 wildfires compare
- 126 Ireland 19 wildfires compare
- 128 Saudi Arabia 15 wildfires compare
- 129 Moldova 12 wildfires compare
- 129 Trinidad and Tobago 12 wildfires compare
- 132 New Caledonia 11 wildfires compare
- 132 Somalia 11 wildfires compare
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of wildfires in South Korea?
- Annual number of wildfires in South Korea was 12 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 52 wildfires in 2025.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 wildfires in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for annual number of wildfires?
- South Korea ranks 129th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
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.