Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in United States
United States: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 2.24 million hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in United States, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
United States recorded 2.24 million hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2024.
That represents a change of up 246.1% on the previous year and up 83.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in United States peaked at 2.46 million hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 647,303 hectares, in 2023.
That places United States 19th out of 225 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.41 million hectares | 735,056 hectares | 2.21 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.51 million hectares | 683,173 hectares | 2.46 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.61 million hectares | 647,303 hectares | 2.35 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143.86 2010 = 100 (2024)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in United States?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in United States was 2.24 million 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2.46 million hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 647,303 hectares in 2023.
- How does United States rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- United States ranks 19th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 83.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.