Erick Burgueño Salas
Research expert covering climate change and the water industry
Wildfires - statistics & facts
Wildfires have broken an alarming record in 2023. Nine million hectares of tree cover were lost due to unplanned and uncontrolled fires around the globe that year, making it the worst season recorded since the beginning of this century. Wildfires are among the most visible extreme weather events, and although they can start naturally, the intensity and frequency with which they appear has increased due to a rapidly warming planet. Meanwhile, the burning of wildland vegetation releases climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions estimated at billions of metric tons per year, creating a vicious circle of devastation.
This is part of a series on the effects of climate change.
Wildfires are however not restricted to political borders and can affect forest ecosystems that comprise multiple countries. During the past decades, boreal forests have been the worst impacted by fires, with nearly 10 million hectares of tree cover lost in 2023. Around one million hectares of tropical forest cover were also lost that year. A well-known example is the Amazon, a tropical rainforest that stretches across nine South American countries and has become increasingly threatened by acts of deforestation and naturally occurring wildfires. In 2023, almost 127,000 wildfire outbreaks were recorded in the Legal Amazon area of Brazil, accounting for over two-thirds of all wildfires in the country that year.
Wildfires are occurring more frequently, burning longer than normal and consuming everything in their path, a result of high-temperature records and changing weather patterns caused by climate change. Extreme wildfires are forecast to increase 14 percent by 2030 and 30 percent by 2050, affecting even previously unexposed communities and natural habitats.
This is part of a series on the effects of climate change.
Most affected regions
Since wildfires usually depend on vegetation for spreading, countries with a denser forest area are particularly prone to suffer from their rage every year. As such, Russia, Canada, Brazil, and the U.S. recorded the highest annual average loss of tree cover by fires between 2001 and 2023. Canada experienced an especially extreme wildfire season in that latter year. In 2023, over 17 million hectares of land – or an area about half the size of Germany – were burned, the biggest area damaged since records started by far. A mix of conditions including high temperatures, low humidity, and drought, all exacerbated by climate change, contributed to the disastrous wildfire season on Canadian soil.Wildfires are however not restricted to political borders and can affect forest ecosystems that comprise multiple countries. During the past decades, boreal forests have been the worst impacted by fires, with nearly 10 million hectares of tree cover lost in 2023. Around one million hectares of tropical forest cover were also lost that year. A well-known example is the Amazon, a tropical rainforest that stretches across nine South American countries and has become increasingly threatened by acts of deforestation and naturally occurring wildfires. In 2023, almost 127,000 wildfire outbreaks were recorded in the Legal Amazon area of Brazil, accounting for over two-thirds of all wildfires in the country that year.
The effects of wildfires
Apart from their toll on natural resources, wildfires may cause incredible harm to humans, properties, and infrastructure, especially if they occur near densely populated areas. In the past decade, economic losses due to wildfires amounted to roughly 82 billion U.S. dollars, a four-fold increase in comparison to the previous decade. On the human side, there were around 263 deaths caused by wildfires in 2023, the second-highest figure recorded since 1990. Indirect deaths and adverse health effects from smoke pollution are estimated to be significantly higher.Wildfires are occurring more frequently, burning longer than normal and consuming everything in their path, a result of high-temperature records and changing weather patterns caused by climate change. Extreme wildfires are forecast to increase 14 percent by 2030 and 30 percent by 2050, affecting even previously unexposed communities and natural habitats.
