Open shrubland — Burned Area in Europe

Europe: Open shrubland — Burned Area was 1.02 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.02 million ha
Change on year
up 236.4%
Rank
8th
of 31 regions
All-time high
2.26 million ha
in 1998
All-time low
45,575 ha
in 2004
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Open shrubland — Burned Area in Europe, 1990–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M1990200720241990: 711.2k ha1991: 711.2k ha1992: 677.4k ha1993: 677.4k ha1994: 677.4k ha1995: 677.4k ha1996: 1.2M ha1997: 386.3k ha1998: 2.3M ha1999: 747.6k ha2000: 1.2M ha2001: 1.2M ha2002: 578.3k ha2003: 2.0M ha2004: 45.6k ha2005: 265.8k ha2006: 135.8k ha2007: 215.4k ha2008: 202.5k ha2009: 395.4k ha2010: 1.5M ha2011: 211.5k ha2012: 436.1k ha2013: 484.4k ha2014: 130.5k ha2015: 79.8k ha2016: 802.1k ha2017: 128.4k ha2018: 254.3k ha2019: 1.0M ha2020: 1.5M ha2021: 883.0k ha2022: 169.2k ha2023: 303.1k ha2024: 1.0M ha

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for open shrubland — burned area in Europe is 1.02 million ha, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 236.4% on the previous year and up 681.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, open shrubland — burned area in Europe peaked at 2.26 million ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 45,575 ha, in 2004.

Europe ranks 8th of 31 regions on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Open shrubland — Burned Area in Europe, year by year

Annual values for Open shrubland — Burned Area in Europe, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 711,157 ha
1991 711,157 ha +0.0%
1992 677,441 ha -4.7%
1993 677,441 ha +0.0%
1994 677,441 ha +0.0%
1995 677,441 ha +0.0%
1996 1.23 million ha +81.4%
1997 386,272 ha -68.6%
1998 2.26 million ha +485.9%
1999 747,642 ha -67.0%
2000 1.16 million ha +55.2%
2001 1.20 million ha +3.1%
2002 578,323 ha -51.6%
2003 1.98 million ha +241.8%
2004 45,575 ha -97.7%
2005 265,843 ha +483.3%
2006 135,777 ha -48.9%
2007 215,383 ha +58.6%
2008 202,542 ha -6.0%
2009 395,403 ha +95.2%
2010 1.47 million ha +272.3%
2011 211,534 ha -85.6%
2012 436,142 ha +106.2%
2013 484,401 ha +11.1%
2014 130,462 ha -73.1%
2015 79,828 ha -38.8%
2016 802,123 ha +904.8%
2017 128,358 ha -84.0%
2018 254,275 ha +98.1%
2019 1.00 million ha +295.2%
2020 1.46 million ha +45.4%
2021 883,047 ha -39.6%
2022 169,201 ha -80.8%
2023 303,091 ha +79.1%
2024 1.02 million ha +236.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 875,819 ha 386,272 ha 2.26 million ha 10
2000s 617,219 ha 45,575 ha 1.98 million ha 10
2010s 500,403 ha 79,828 ha 1.47 million ha 10
2020s 767,252 ha 169,201 ha 1.46 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Europe

  1. 5 Botswana 924,078 ha compare
  2. 6 South Africa 159,213 ha compare
  3. 7 Iraq 93,236 ha compare
  4. 8 Argentina 50,420 ha compare
  5. 9 Angola 45,448 ha compare
  6. 10 Namibia 40,003 ha compare
  7. 11 Canada 37,062 ha compare

See the full ranking of 270 places →

More climate change data for Europe

All data for Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is open shrubland — burned area in Europe?
Open shrubland — burned area in Europe was 1.02 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest open shrubland — burned area recorded in Europe?
The highest recorded value was 2.26 million ha in 1998.
What is the lowest open shrubland — burned area recorded in Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 45,575 ha in 2004.
How does Europe rank for open shrubland — burned area?
Europe ranks 8th out of 31 regions with data for 2024.
Is open shrubland — burned area rising or falling in Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 681.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Europe data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Open shrubland — 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Open shrubland — Burned Area in Europe. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/open-shrubland-burned-area-fao-tier-1/europe/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/open-shrubland-burned-area-fao-tier-1/europe/">Open shrubland — Burned Area in Europe</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Open shrubland — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
270 places, 9,224 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.