Area burned wildfires by type in China
China: Area burned wildfires by type was 71,417 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
71,417
Change on year
down 46.7%
World rank
53rd
of 225 countries
All-time high
350,151
in 2003
All-time low
64,033
in 2021
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Area burned wildfires by type in China, 2002–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for area burned wildfires by type in China is 71,417, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 46.7% on the previous year and down 64.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned wildfires by type in China peaked at 350,151 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 64,033, in 2021.
China ranks 53rd of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned wildfires by type in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 174,110 | — |
| 2003 | 350,151 | +101.1% |
| 2004 | 80,476 | -77.0% |
| 2005 | 164,708 | +104.7% |
| 2006 | 113,147 | -31.3% |
| 2007 | 123,150 | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 341,136 | +177.0% |
| 2009 | 186,968 | -45.2% |
| 2010 | 117,504 | -37.2% |
| 2011 | 110,742 | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 203,153 | +83.4% |
| 2013 | 162,432 | -20.0% |
| 2014 | 255,122 | +57.1% |
| 2015 | 199,718 | -21.7% |
| 2016 | 109,497 | -45.2% |
| 2017 | 145,818 | +33.2% |
| 2018 | 125,532 | -13.9% |
| 2019 | 287,149 | +128.7% |
| 2020 | 157,259 | -45.2% |
| 2021 | 64,033 | -59.3% |
| 2022 | 94,149 | +47.0% |
| 2023 | 206,695 | +119.5% |
| 2024 | 134,033 | -35.2% |
| 2025 | 71,417 | -46.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 71,417 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10,669, 6.7× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- China's 71,417 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.93, 1663.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 191,731 | 80,476 | 350,151 | 8 |
| 2010s | 171,667 | 109,497 | 287,149 | 10 |
| 2020s | 121,264 | 64,033 | 206,695 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned wildfires by type in China?
- Area burned wildfires by type in China was 71,417 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest area burned wildfires by type recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 350,151 in 2003.
- What is the lowest area burned wildfires by type recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 64,033 in 2021.
- How does China rank for area burned wildfires by type?
- China ranks 53rd out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned wildfires by type rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Area burned wildfires by type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).