Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in United States
United States: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre was 0.0708 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in United States, 2002–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in United States stood at 0.0708 hectares per square kilometre. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 55.2% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in United States peaked at 0.2688 hectares per square kilometre in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0708 hectares per square kilometre, in 2023.
That places United States 79th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in United States, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0.1168 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 2003 | 0.1223 hectares per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 0.0802 hectares per square kilometre | -34.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1989 hectares per square kilometre | +148.0% |
| 2006 | 0.2412 hectares per square kilometre | +21.3% |
| 2007 | 0.1945 hectares per square kilometre | -19.4% |
| 2008 | 0.145 hectares per square kilometre | -25.4% |
| 2009 | 0.136 hectares per square kilometre | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 0.0878 hectares per square kilometre | -35.4% |
| 2011 | 0.2688 hectares per square kilometre | +206.0% |
| 2012 | 0.2482 hectares per square kilometre | -7.7% |
| 2013 | 0.0747 hectares per square kilometre | -69.9% |
| 2014 | 0.1339 hectares per square kilometre | +79.2% |
| 2015 | 0.1185 hectares per square kilometre | -11.4% |
| 2016 | 0.1675 hectares per square kilometre | +41.3% |
| 2017 | 0.225 hectares per square kilometre | +34.3% |
| 2018 | 0.215 hectares per square kilometre | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 0.1062 hectares per square kilometre | -50.6% |
| 2020 | 0.2566 hectares per square kilometre | +141.6% |
| 2021 | 0.1495 hectares per square kilometre | -41.7% |
| 2022 | 0.1581 hectares per square kilometre | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 0.0708 hectares per square kilometre | -55.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.1544 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0802 hectares per square kilometre | 0.2412 hectares per square kilometre | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.1646 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0747 hectares per square kilometre | 0.2688 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1587 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0708 hectares per square kilometre | 0.2566 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 76 Iran 0.0806 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 77 Burundi 0.0769 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 78 Nepal 0.0755 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 80 Bulgaria 0.0678 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 81 Canada 0.0647 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 82 Armenia 0.0639 hectares per square kilometre compare
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 square kilometre in United States?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in United States was 0.0708 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2688 hectares per square kilometre in 2011.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0708 hectares per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does United States rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre?
- United States ranks 79th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 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 Land area (sq. km), 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 ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.