Where the World Is Burning in 2026

Where the World Is Burning in 2026

As of August 1, 2026, wildfires and landscape fires have burned 112.3 million hectares of land across the globe, an area roughly the size of South Africa.

This visualization uses data from the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS) via Our World in Data to show where that burning is concentrated in 2026 as of August 1. The data includes prescribed burns, agricultural burns, and uncontrolled wildfires.

Africa Is the Epicenter of Global Fire Activity

More than half of the world’s burned land so far in 2026 is in Africa.

The data table below shows the land area burned for every country as of August 1, 2026:

Rank	Country or Territory	Area Burned in Hectares (YTD to Aug 1, 2026)	Share	Region
1	Democratic Republic of Congo	13,611,126	12.1%	Africa
2	Australia	11,801,650	10.5%	Oceania
3	Angola	7,473,034	6.7%	Africa
4	South Sudan	6,955,022	6.2%	Africa
5	Central African Republic	6,017,881	5.4%	Africa
6	Myanmar	4,325,702	3.9%	Asia
7	India	4,029,704	3.6%	Asia
8	Russia	3,335,029	3.0%	Europe
9	Guinea	3,250,992	2.9%	Africa
10	Zambia	3,213,687	2.9%	Africa
11	Venezuela	2,977,466	2.7%	South America
12	Nigeria	2,807,200	2.5%	Africa
13	Thailand	2,669,550	2.4%	Asia
14	Laos	2,641,321	2.4%	Asia
15	United States	2,371,207	2.1%	North America
16	China	2,265,057	2.0%	Asia
17	Canada	2,031,754	1.8%	North America
18	Brazil	2,030,209	1.8%	South America
19	Ethiopia	1,851,131	1.6%	Africa
20	Ghana	1,763,395	1.6%	Africa
21	Cambodia	1,525,312	1.4%	Asia
22	Mali	1,490,698	1.3%	Africa
23	Cameroon	1,435,373	1.3%	Africa
24	Chad	1,309,155	1.2%	Africa
25	Mexico	1,264,823	1.1%	North America
26	Sudan	1,203,158	1.1%	Africa
27	Senegal	1,187,591	1.1%	Africa
28	Tanzania	1,048,663	0.9%	Africa
29	Colombia	891,985	0.8%	South America
30	Mozambique	787,066	0.7%	Africa
31	South Africa	784,647	0.7%	Africa
32	Sierra Leone	731,535	0.7%	Africa
33	Madagascar	687,086	0.6%	Africa
34	Congo	677,354	0.6%	Africa
35	Burkina Faso	553,719	0.5%	Africa
36	Bolivia	546,490	0.5%	South America
37	Argentina	545,304	0.5%	South America
38	Uganda	519,601	0.5%	Africa
39	Indonesia	488,365	0.4%	Asia
40	Cote d’Ivoire	451,527	0.4%	Africa
41	Kazakhstan	429,520	0.4%	Asia
42	Paraguay	405,669	0.4%	South America
43	Benin	343,416	0.3%	Africa
44	Honduras	320,884	0.3%	North America
45	Chile	304,983	0.3%	South America
46	Vietnam	283,638	0.3%	Asia
47	Philippines	237,168	0.2%	Asia
48	Papua New Guinea	228,440	0.2%	Oceania
49	Togo	208,905	0.2%	Africa
50	Nicaragua	205,306	0.2%	North America
51	Guinea-Bissau	198,497	0.2%	Africa
52	Zimbabwe	191,333	0.2%	Africa
53	Cuba	181,721	0.2%	North America
54	Spain	179,677	0.2%	Europe
55	Guatemala	171,398	0.2%	North America
56	Botswana	170,855	0.2%	Africa
57	Liberia	170,428	0.2%	Africa
58	Nepal	156,215	0.1%	Asia
59	Ukraine	154,202	0.1%	Europe
60	Namibia	145,011	0.1%	Africa
61	Bangladesh	143,982	0.1%	Asia
62	Iran	119,492	0.1%	Asia
63	Gabon	103,419	0.1%	Africa
64	Costa Rica	98,035	0.1%	North America
65	Algeria	97,985	0.1%	Africa
66	Gambia	97,664	0.1%	Africa
67	France	96,050	0.1%	Europe
68	Niger	87,000	0.1%	Africa
69	Pakistan	80,485	0.1%	Asia
70	Italy	69,050	0.1%	Europe
71	Iraq	65,826	0.1%	Asia
72	Kenya	62,459	0.1%	Africa
73	Mongolia	60,447	0.1%	Asia
74	Malawi	57,640	0.1%	Africa

Much of this reflects deliberate seasonal burning. Across sub-Saharan Africa, fire is a long-standing tool for clearing land, managing pasture, and preparing fields for planting. Even so, the scale is striking: Africa has recorded roughly 26 times as much burned area as the United States so far in 2026.

The Democratic Republic of Congo leads all countries with 13.6 million hectares burned, an area roughly the size of England. Angola follows at 7.5 million hectares, South Sudan at 7.0 million, and the Central African Republic at 6.0 million.

Major Fire Seasons Beyond the Global Leaders

Burned-area totals alone do not measure wildfire severity or risk, particularly because the GWIS dataset includes agricultural and prescribed burning. Still, several countries outside the global leaders have experienced significant uncontrolled wildfires in 2026.

Spain has experienced one of the year’s most severe fire seasons. Driven by extreme heat and drought, wildfires had scorched approximately 180,000 hectares as of August 1, an exceptionally high total for this point in the season. A massive fire in Ávila became the largest in Spanish history, and with simultaneous fires raging across France, combined evacuations across both countries surpassed 300,000.

Canada has recorded 2.0 million hectares burned as of August 1, with fires active across multiple provinces. The 2026 season follows the country’s record-breaking 2023 season, which burned approximately 15 million hectares according to Natural Resources Canada, seven times the historic national annual average.

The United States has recorded 2.4 million hectares burned, with Oregon and Washington experiencing some of the most severe ongoing fires. More than 100 large wildfires were actively burning as of early August, driven by drought conditions affecting more than a quarter of the country’s land area.

As four decades of U.S. wildfire data show, the number of fires has declined over time while the total land burned has increased, pointing to fires that are fewer but more intense.

Australia Stands Apart in the Southern Hemisphere

Outside Africa, Australia has recorded the largest burned area at 11.8 million hectares. That ranks second globally behind the Democratic Republic of Congo and accounts for nearly all of Oceania’s 11% share.

The data table below shows a regional breakdown of land area burned in 2026 so far:

Asia accounts for 18% of global burned land. Myanmar leads the region at 4.3 million hectares, followed by India at 4.0 million. Thailand, Laos, and China each add between 2.3 and 2.7 million hectares.

South America contributes 7% of global burned land, led by Venezuela at 3.0 million hectares and Brazil at 2.0 million. Europe accounts for just 3%, with Russia responsible for most of the region’s 3.3 million-hectare total.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed this graphic, check out How Much CO2 do Wildfires Contribute Globally? on Voronoi.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/where-the-world-is-burning-in-2026/