Forest fires — Burned Area in Japan

Japan: Forest fires — Burned Area was 1,910 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1,910 ha
Change on year
up 89.4%
World rank
66th
of 219 countries
All-time high
6,222 ha
in 2014
All-time low
751.03 ha
in 2016
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires — Burned Area in Japan, 1990–2024

02.0k4.0k6.0k1990200720241990: 2.1k ha1991: 2.1k ha1992: 2.1k ha1993: 2.1k ha1994: 2.1k ha1995: 2.1k ha1996: 1.6k ha1997: 1.2k ha1998: 1.2k ha1999: 1.4k ha2000: 1.6k ha2001: 1.3k ha2002: 1.8k ha2003: 1.7k ha2004: 1.0k ha2005: 1.9k ha2006: 1.7k ha2007: 3.5k ha2008: 4.1k ha2009: 1.5k ha2010: 1.5k ha2011: 2.6k ha2012: 836.9 ha2013: 1.1k ha2014: 6.2k ha2015: 1.8k ha2016: 751 ha2017: 2.0k ha2018: 3.8k ha2019: 3.6k ha2020: 3.8k ha2021: 922.6 ha2022: 3.6k ha2023: 1.0k ha2024: 1.9k ha

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for forest fires — burned area in Japan is 1,910 ha, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 89.4% on the previous year and down 69.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Japan peaked at 6,222 ha in 2014 and was at its lowest, 751.03 ha, in 2016.

That places Japan 66th out of 219 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Forest fires — Burned Area in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Burned Area in Japan, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 2,109 ha —
1991 2,109 ha +0.0%
1992 2,109 ha +0.0%
1993 2,109 ha +0.0%
1994 2,109 ha +0.0%
1995 2,109 ha +0.0%
1996 1,625 ha -22.9%
1997 1,224 ha -24.7%
1998 1,240 ha +1.3%
1999 1,446 ha +16.6%
2000 1,649 ha +14.0%
2001 1,266 ha -23.2%
2002 1,802 ha +42.4%
2003 1,738 ha -3.6%
2004 1,030 ha -40.7%
2005 1,910 ha +85.4%
2006 1,717 ha -10.1%
2007 3,519 ha +105.0%
2008 4,078 ha +15.9%
2009 1,481 ha -63.7%
2010 1,545 ha +4.3%
2011 2,596 ha +68.1%
2012 836.88 ha -67.8%
2013 1,095 ha +30.8%
2014 6,222 ha +468.5%
2015 1,759 ha -71.7%
2016 751.03 ha -57.3%
2017 1,974 ha +162.8%
2018 3,755 ha +90.2%
2019 3,648 ha -2.9%
2020 3,841 ha +5.3%
2021 922.58 ha -76.0%
2022 3,562 ha +286.1%
2023 1,008 ha -71.7%
2024 1,910 ha +89.4%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 1,910 ha is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.81 ha, 44.6× the median. (27 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Forest fires — Burned Area in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2014 +468.5% 1,095 ha 6,222 ha
2022 +286.1% 922.58 ha 3,562 ha

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,819 ha 1,224 ha 2,109 ha 10
2000s 2,019 ha 1,030 ha 4,078 ha 10
2010s 2,418 ha 751.03 ha 6,222 ha 10
2020s 2,249 ha 922.58 ha 3,841 ha 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 63 Togo 2,565 ha compare
  2. 64 Serbia 2,258 ha compare
  3. 65 Bhutan 1,929 ha compare
  4. 67 North Macedonia 1,569 ha compare
  5. 68 Sudan 1,005 ha compare
  6. 69 Bulgaria 838.48 ha compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — burned area in Japan?
Forest fires — burned area in Japan was 1,910 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 6,222 ha in 2014.
What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 751.03 ha in 2016.
How does Japan rank for forest fires — burned area?
Japan ranks 66th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 69.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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 Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/japan/

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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.