Annual number of wildfires in United States
United States: Annual number of wildfires was 5,936 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of wildfires in United States, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
United States recorded 5,936 wildfires for annual number of wildfires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.3% on the previous year and down 63.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in United States peaked at 17,590 wildfires in 2022 and was at its lowest, 5,936 wildfires, in 2026.
United States ranks 17th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15,084 wildfires | 13,229 wildfires | 17,151 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 12,035 wildfires | 5,936 wildfires | 17,590 wildfires | 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 number of wildfires in United States?
- Annual number of wildfires in United States was 5,936 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 17,590 wildfires in 2022.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,936 wildfires in 2026.
- How does United States rank for annual number of wildfires?
- United States ranks 17th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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 07 August 2026.