Forest Fires in Russia by Year: Area, Regions and Charts

2026-09-23 · Экология

In 2024 the fire burned 6.98 million hectares of forest land. This is the fourth result in fifteen years of observations and three times more than in the calm 2022 (2.76 million hectares). The record of the series belongs to 2019: 8.64 million hectares, an area the size of Austria. At the same time the number of fires was not higher, but lower: 12.2 thousand in 2023 versus 15.1 thousand in 2021. Rosstat data.

Below is the area for all years since 2010, breakdown by regions, number of fires and volume of burnt forest, as well as interactive charts.

Area of forest fires in Russia by year

Thousands of hectares of forest land burned.

The series is divided into two parts. Up to and including 2017 the annual area stayed in the corridor from 1 to 3.3 million hectares. Since 2018 the lower bound has risen: even in the calmest years 2.8 million hectares burn, and in severe years almost 9 million. The average area for 2018–2024 is four times larger than for 2010–2013.

The full series for each region and year is available in the dataset, where you can also compare any two subjects on one chart.

Where the fire burns: the Far East and almost nobody else

The regional spread is stronger than for any other environmental statistic. In 2024, out of 6.98 million burned hectares, 6.63 million fell in the Far Eastern Federal District. That is 95 percent of the total area.

The top five in 2024:

• Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): 2 694.7 thousand hectares;
• Zabaykalsky Krai: 1 949.3;
• Amur Oblast: 1 194.5;
• Republic of Buryatia: 397.0;
• Irkutsk Oblast: 236.6.

For comparison: the entire Central Federal District lost 1.1 thousand hectares that same year, i.e., about two and a half thousand times less than Yakutia. The reason is not that there are no fires in the European part of Russia, but that they are extinguished in the first hours: roads, equipment and people are nearby.

A noticeable part of the burned area in Yakutia and Zabaykalsky falls into so‑called control zones, where extinguishing is officially deemed unfeasible: remote sections where equipment cannot be delivered. The fire there is put out by rain or snow.

Fewer fires, larger area

The number of outbreaks and the burned area behave differently, and this is the main feature of Russian fire statistics.

For 2019–2023:

• number of fires: 13.6 thousand, 14.8, 15.1, 12.5, 12.2 thousand;
• area of forest lands: 8,678, 7,021, 8,198, 2,820, 3,205 thousand ha;
• forest vegetation burned: 313.2, 58.4, 34.6, 37.8, 27.9 million cubic meters.

The number of fires over five years decreased by a tenth, the area fluctuates threefold from year to year, and the volume of burnt forest fell elevenfold compared with 2019. The latter is explained by the fact that in 2019 dense Siberian forests burned, while in subsequent years a significant part of the area consisted of sparse woods and tundra zones, where timber per hectare is many times lower. Dataset on forest fires also provides the area of non‑forest lands: in 2023 fire also crossed 919 thousand hectares of swamps, bogs and clearings.

Questions and Answers

How much forest burned in Russia in 2024?

Fire passed through 6.98 million hectares of forest land. This is the area of forest land affected by fires, not completely destroyed forest: after a surface fire, the standing deadwood usually survives.

Which year was the worst?

2019 by area (8.64 million hectares) and also by volume of dead wood (313.2 million cubic meters). The second‑largest year by area is 2021, the third is 2018.

Which region burns the most?

Yakutia. In 2024 it accounted for 2.69 million hectares, or 39 percent of the total area in the country. It is followed by Zabaykalsky Krai and Amur Oblast.

Is the number of forest fires increasing?

No. The number of foci stays in the corridor of 12–15 thousand per year and in recent years is rather decreasing. The average area of a single fire is growing, which is already a question of detection speed and site accessibility for equipment.

How are forest fire statistics calculated?

Primary data are collected by forest management bodies, the data are compiled into the national list of Sustainable Development Goal indicators and the collection "Environmental Protection in Russia". Rosstat publishes them broken down by subjects.

In Brief

• 2024: 6.98 million ha of forest land affected by fire, fourth place in fifteen years.
• Record series: 8.64 million ha in 2019.
• 95 percent of the burned area in 2024 falls on the Far East.
• Yakutia alone provides 2.69 million ha, more than a third of the nationwide figure.
• The number of fires is decreasing (12.2 thousand in 2023), their average size is increasing.

Data source: Rosstat, national list of SDG indicators and the collection "Environmental Protection in Russia".