Annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Annual number of wildfires was 92 wildfires in 2026. ▲ Rising
Annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom is 92 wildfires, measured in 2026.
That represents a change of down 27.6% on the previous year and up 130.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom peaked at 127 wildfires in 2025 and was at its lowest, 27 wildfires, in 2024.
United Kingdom ranks 97th of 248 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 80 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 62 wildfires | -22.5% |
| 2014 | 44 wildfires | -29.0% |
| 2015 | 58 wildfires | +31.8% |
| 2016 | 40 wildfires | -31.0% |
| 2017 | 67 wildfires | +67.5% |
| 2018 | 97 wildfires | +44.8% |
| 2019 | 118 wildfires | +21.6% |
| 2020 | 59 wildfires | -50.0% |
| 2021 | 32 wildfires | -45.8% |
| 2022 | 118 wildfires | +268.8% |
| 2023 | 39 wildfires | -66.9% |
| 2024 | 27 wildfires | -30.8% |
| 2025 | 127 wildfires | +370.4% |
| 2026 | 92 wildfires | -27.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 92 wildfires is above the median for high income countries, which is 1 wildfires, 92.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 92 wildfires is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11 wildfires, 8.4× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom 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 | +370.4% | 27 wildfires | 127 wildfires |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 70.75 wildfires | 40 wildfires | 118 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 70.57 wildfires | 27 wildfires | 127 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 94 Mauritania 97 wildfires compare
- 95 Eswatini 94 wildfires compare
- 96 Dominican Republic 93 wildfires compare
- 98 North Macedonia 82 wildfires compare
- 99 Germany 79 wildfires compare
- 100 Azerbaijan 76 wildfires compare
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom?
- Annual number of wildfires in United Kingdom was 92 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 127 wildfires in 2025.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 27 wildfires in 2024.
- How does United Kingdom rank for annual number of wildfires?
- United Kingdom ranks 97th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 130.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.