Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita in United States
United States: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita was 0.0033 hectares per person in 2025. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita in United States, 2002–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita in United States is 0.0033 hectares per person, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 49.7% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita in United States peaked at 0.0079 hectares per person in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0019 hectares per person, in 2023.
That places United States 63rd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita in United States, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0.0037 hectares per person | — |
| 2003 | 0.0039 hectares per person | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 0.0025 hectares per person | -35.0% |
| 2005 | 0.0062 hectares per person | +145.7% |
| 2006 | 0.0074 hectares per person | +20.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0059 hectares per person | -20.2% |
| 2008 | 0.0044 hectares per person | -26.3% |
| 2009 | 0.0041 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0026 hectares per person | -36.0% |
| 2011 | 0.0079 hectares per person | +203.6% |
| 2012 | 0.0072 hectares per person | -8.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0022 hectares per person | -70.1% |
| 2014 | 0.0038 hectares per person | +77.8% |
| 2015 | 0.0034 hectares per person | -12.2% |
| 2016 | 0.0047 hectares per person | +40.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0063 hectares per person | +33.4% |
| 2018 | 0.006 hectares per person | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0029 hectares per person | -50.9% |
| 2020 | 0.0071 hectares per person | +140.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0041 hectares per person | -41.8% |
| 2022 | 0.0043 hectares per person | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 0.0019 hectares per person | -55.6% |
| 2024 | 0.0066 hectares per person | +242.8% |
| 2025 | 0.0033 hectares per person | -49.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0048 hectares per person | 0.0025 hectares per person | 0.0074 hectares per person | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.0047 hectares per person | 0.0022 hectares per person | 0.0079 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0046 hectares per person | 0.0019 hectares per person | 0.0071 hectares per person | 6 |
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 area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita in United States?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita in United States was 0.0033 hectares per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0079 hectares per person in 2011.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0019 hectares per person in 2023.
- How does United States rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita?
- United States ranks 63rd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.