Forest fires — Burned Area in OECD
OECD: Forest fires — Burned Area was 1.77 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Burned Area in OECD, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, forest fires — burned area in OECD stood at 1.77 million ha.
That represents a change of down 53.8% on the previous year and up 102.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in OECD peaked at 4.31 million ha in 2019 and was at its lowest, 617,380 ha, in 2010.
That places OECD 6th out of 219 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.
Forest fires — Burned Area in OECD, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.66 million ha | — |
| 1991 | 1.66 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.66 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.66 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.66 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.66 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.76 million ha | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 1.56 million ha | -11.3% |
| 1998 | 3.23 million ha | +107.0% |
| 1999 | 2.26 million ha | -29.8% |
| 2000 | 1.50 million ha | -33.8% |
| 2001 | 758,943 ha | -49.4% |
| 2002 | 1.43 million ha | +88.5% |
| 2003 | 2.46 million ha | +72.3% |
| 2004 | 701,462 ha | -71.5% |
| 2005 | 957,800 ha | +36.5% |
| 2006 | 1.71 million ha | +78.4% |
| 2007 | 1.10 million ha | -35.7% |
| 2008 | 847,659 ha | -22.9% |
| 2009 | 1.19 million ha | +40.9% |
| 2010 | 617,380 ha | -48.3% |
| 2011 | 1.15 million ha | +85.6% |
| 2012 | 1.06 million ha | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 1.49 million ha | +40.4% |
| 2014 | 870,066 ha | -41.6% |
| 2015 | 1.62 million ha | +86.3% |
| 2016 | 1.04 million ha | -35.7% |
| 2017 | 1.59 million ha | +52.9% |
| 2018 | 1.53 million ha | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 4.31 million ha | +181.5% |
| 2020 | 3.20 million ha | -25.8% |
| 2021 | 1.63 million ha | -49.2% |
| 2022 | 948,614 ha | -41.7% |
| 2023 | 3.82 million ha | +303.0% |
| 2024 | 1.77 million ha | -53.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.88 million ha | 1.56 million ha | 3.23 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.27 million ha | 701,462 ha | 2.46 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.53 million ha | 617,380 ha | 4.31 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.27 million ha | 948,614 ha | 3.82 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near OECD
- 3 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 5.92 million ha compare
- 3 Central African Republic 2.42 million ha compare
- 4 Mozambique 2.26 million ha compare
- 5 Angola 1.85 million ha compare
- 5 Democratic Republic of the Congo 3.50 million ha compare
- 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 481,396 ha compare
- 7 Myanmar 1.29 million ha compare
- 7 United Republic of Tanzania 414,900 ha compare
- 8 Russian Federation 723,318 ha compare
- 8 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 316,286 ha compare
- 9 Canada 717,855 ha compare
More climate change data for OECD
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 223,315 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 906.49 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 743,908 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 240,219 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 984,128 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 26,568 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 264,403 kt (2050)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 29.42 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 41,088 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1,467 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest fires — burned area in OECD?
- Forest fires — burned area in OECD was 1.77 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in OECD?
- The highest recorded value was 4.31 million ha in 2019.
- What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in OECD?
- The lowest recorded value was 617,380 ha in 2010.
- How does OECD rank for forest fires — burned area?
- OECD ranks 6th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in OECD?
- Over the last ten years it is up 102.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this OECD 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.