Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in China
China: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 134,033 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in China, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in China is 134,033 hectares, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 35.2% on the previous year and down 47.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in China peaked at 350,151 hectares in 2003 and was at its lowest, 64,033 hectares, in 2021.
China ranks 50th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 191,731 hectares | 80,476 hectares | 350,151 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 171,667 hectares | 109,497 hectares | 287,149 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 131,234 hectares | 64,033 hectares | 206,695 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in China?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in China was 134,033 hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 350,151 hectares in 2003.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 64,033 hectares in 2021.
- How does China rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- China ranks 50th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Area burned by wildfires by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.