Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Iraq

Iraq: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 184,478 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
184,478 hectares
Change on year
up 81.7%
World rank
47th
of 225 countries
All-time high
929,794 hectares
in 2019
All-time low
13,223 hectares
in 2006
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Iraq, 2002–2024

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M2002201320242002: 37.4k hectares2003: 19.5k hectares2004: 15.3k hectares2005: 24.3k hectares2006: 13.2k hectares2007: 23.2k hectares2008: 56.7k hectares2009: 35.2k hectares2010: 41.0k hectares2011: 28.7k hectares2012: 18.3k hectares2013: 31.3k hectares2014: 62.0k hectares2015: 125.7k hectares2016: 117.6k hectares2017: 48.5k hectares2018: 81.7k hectares2019: 929.8k hectares2020: 412.9k hectares2021: 71.6k hectares2022: 51.1k hectares2023: 101.5k hectares2024: 184.5k hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2024, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Iraq stood at 184,478 hectares.

That represents a change of up 81.7% on the previous year and up 197.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Iraq peaked at 929,794 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 13,223 hectares, in 2006.

That places Iraq 47th out of 225 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 28,102 hectares 13,223 hectares 56,734 hectares 8
2010s 148,456 hectares 18,268 hectares 929,794 hectares 10
2020s 164,334 hectares 51,132 hectares 412,939 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 44 Paraguay 227,817 hectares compare
  2. 45 Mauritania 204,162 hectares compare
  3. 46 Mexico 200,148 hectares compare
  4. 48 Ukraine 179,862 hectares compare
  5. 49 Gambia 140,000 hectares compare
  6. 50 China 134,033 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Iraq?
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Iraq was 184,478 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 Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 929,794 hectares in 2019.
What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 13,223 hectares in 2006.
How does Iraq rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
Iraq ranks 47th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is up 197.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iraq 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

Indicator
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
225 places, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.