Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Spain

Spain: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 15,133 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
15,133 hectares
Change on year
up 21.3%
World rank
78th
of 225 countries
All-time high
150,819 hectares
in 2022
All-time low
5,646 hectares
in 2018
Years of data
23
2002–2024

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

050.0k100.0k150.0k2002201320242002: 21.0k hectares2003: 65.9k hectares2004: 55.4k hectares2005: 67.3k hectares2006: 19.2k hectares2007: 40.7k hectares2008: 14.9k hectares2009: 50.1k hectares2010: 10.3k hectares2011: 15.4k hectares2012: 113.1k hectares2013: 16.3k hectares2014: 12.5k hectares2015: 32.3k hectares2016: 14.5k hectares2017: 34.2k hectares2018: 5.6k hectares2019: 28.6k hectares2020: 17.7k hectares2021: 34.8k hectares2022: 150.8k hectares2023: 12.5k hectares2024: 15.1k hectares

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

Analysis

Spain recorded 15,133 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.3% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Spain peaked at 150,819 hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 5,646 hectares, in 2018.

Spain ranks 78th of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 41,807 hectares 14,897 hectares 67,274 hectares 8
2010s 28,303 hectares 5,646 hectares 113,125 hectares 10
2020s 46,182 hectares 12,472 hectares 150,819 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 75 Indonesia 18,074 hectares compare
  2. 76 Sierra Leone 18,010 hectares compare
  3. 77 Albania 16,636 hectares compare
  4. 79 Guinea-Bissau 14,532 hectares compare
  5. 80 Ecuador 13,781 hectares compare
  6. 81 Azerbaijan 13,502 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Spain?
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Spain was 15,133 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 Spain?
The highest recorded value was 150,819 hectares in 2022.
What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 5,646 hectares in 2018.
How does Spain rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
Spain ranks 78th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Spain 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.

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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.