Annual number of fires in United States
United States: Annual number of fires was 7,347 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Latest (2026)
7,347
Change on year
down 17.4%
World rank
18th
of 248 countries
All-time high
17,590
in 2022
All-time low
7,347
in 2026
Years of data
15
2012–2026
Annual number of fires in United States, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 7,347 for annual number of fires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.4% on the previous year and down 55.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of fires in United States peaked at 17,590 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7,347, in 2026.
United States ranks 18th 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.
Annual number of fires in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 13,919 | — |
| 2013 | 13,229 | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 14,427 | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 16,000 | +10.9% |
| 2016 | 16,402 | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 17,151 | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 14,115 | -17.7% |
| 2019 | 15,433 | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 15,272 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 16,171 | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 17,590 | +8.8% |
| 2023 | 10,523 | -40.2% |
| 2024 | 9,854 | -6.4% |
| 2025 | 8,896 | -9.7% |
| 2026 | 7,347 | -17.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 7,347 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 7347.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15,084 | 13,229 | 17,151 | 8 |
| 2020s | 12,236 | 7,347 | 17,590 | 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 fires in United States?
- Annual number of fires in United States was 7,347 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of fires recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 17,590 in 2022.
- What is the lowest annual number of fires recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,347 in 2026.
- How does United States rank for annual number of fires?
- United States ranks 18th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of fires rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of fires. 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).