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Where the World Burns

Land area burned in the latest year, the 20 countries that burn most on average plus the U.S., Canada and Bolivia, million hectares

Australia leads at 50.6
Current·Data to 2025

Plays the chart through its history. Pauses are where a new leader takes first place.

Global Wildfire Information System, European Commission Joint Research Centre (CC BY 4.0), from NASA MODIS MCD64A1 satellite burned-area maps. MODIS undercounts small fires and misses burns hidden by cloud, smoke or forest canopy. Palanor converted hectares to millions of hectares.

Burned area by country in the newest year GWIS has processed. Australia’s tropical north and the savanna belts of Africa burn on a scale no forest-fire season matches; the U.S. and Canada are included for comparison.

What this chart reads·23 series

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Sources·23 sources

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Australia Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Angola Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

DR Congo Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

South Sudan Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Zambia Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Mozambique Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Central African Republic Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Brazil Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Russia Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Tanzania Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Chad Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Nigeria Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Kazakhstan Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Sudan Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Mali Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Ghana Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Ethiopia Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Botswana Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

India Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Senegal Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

United States Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Canada Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Bolivia Burned Area (GWIS). Source: Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), European Commission Joint Research Centre, Copernicus Emergency Management Service: country profiles (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/country.profile), based on NASA MODIS MCD64A1. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Changes made by Palanor: hectares converted to millions of hectares.

Charts are drawn from Palanor's signal library and recomputed from source data on every view. Transformations (changes, indexing, year-on-year rates) are Palanor's.

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