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 8th out of 240 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
- 5 Central African Republic 2.42 million ha compare
- 6 Mozambique 2.26 million ha compare
- 7 Angola 1.85 million ha compare
- 9 Myanmar 1.29 million ha compare
- 10 Russian Federation 723,318 ha compare
- 11 Canada 717,855 ha compare
More climate change data for OECD
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 29.42 billion kg (2050)
- Maize (corn) — Burning crop residues 139.28 kt (2050)
- Maize (corn) — Crop residues 65.07 kt (2050)
- Maize (corn) — Crop residues 14.64 kt (2050)
- Maize (corn) — Burning crop residues 51.58 million t (2050)
- Maize (corn) — Crop residues 79.71 kt (2050)
- Maize (corn) — Crop residues 4.14 billion kg (2050)
- Maize (corn) — Burning crop residues 3.61 kt (2050)
- Manure applied to Soils — Direct emissions 137.03 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Direct emissions 462.38 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 8th out of 240 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.