Forest fires — Burned Area in Canada

Canada: Forest fires — Burned Area was 717,855 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
717,855 ha
Change on year
down 73.9%
World rank
10th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.75 million ha
in 2023
All-time low
19,774 ha
in 2001
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires — Burned Area in Canada, 1990–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M1990200720241990: 391.7k ha1991: 391.7k ha1992: 391.7k ha1993: 391.7k ha1994: 391.7k ha1995: 391.7k ha1996: 687.3k ha1997: 348.6k ha1998: 1.3M ha1999: 549.2k ha2000: 283.5k ha2001: 19.8k ha2002: 101.9k ha2003: 230.3k ha2004: 167.7k ha2005: 97.5k ha2006: 146.0k ha2007: 67.7k ha2008: 27.0k ha2009: 82.9k ha2010: 176.3k ha2011: 192.7k ha2012: 247.0k ha2013: 252.6k ha2014: 147.5k ha2015: 593.9k ha2016: 213.6k ha2017: 240.9k ha2018: 606.9k ha2019: 296.5k ha2020: 40.9k ha2021: 575.0k ha2022: 172.4k ha2023: 2.7M ha2024: 717.9k ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

In 2024, forest fires — burned area in Canada stood at 717,855 ha.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 73.9% on the previous year and up 386.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Canada peaked at 2.75 million ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 19,774 ha, in 2001.

That places Canada 10th out of 236 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 526,063 ha 348,601 ha 1.33 million ha 10
2000s 122,451 ha 19,774 ha 283,512 ha 10
2010s 296,787 ha 147,475 ha 606,890 ha 10
2020s 851,231 ha 40,891 ha 2.75 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 7 OECD 1.77 million ha compare
  2. 8 Myanmar 1.29 million ha compare
  3. 9 Russian Federation 723,318 ha compare
  4. 11 Mexico 557,291 ha compare
  5. 12 India 523,649 ha compare
  6. 13 Lao People's Democratic Republic 481,396 ha compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — burned area in Canada?
Forest fires — burned area in Canada was 717,855 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 2.75 million ha in 2023.
What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 19,774 ha in 2001.
How does Canada rank for forest fires — burned area?
Canada ranks 10th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 386.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Burned Area in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 15 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
272 places, 9,294 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Fires consists of estimates of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from biomass burning in a range of vegetation types and from fires in organic soils.