Canada's 2023 fires burned more than twice the old record
Forest area burned in Canada each year, million hectares, 1990–2024.
Fires burned 17.6 million hectares of Canada in 2023, an area larger than Tunisia.
That is 2.4 times the previous record of 7.5 million hectares, set in 1995.
2025 burned roughly 8.9 million hectares, the second-worst year on record.
the numbers
| Year | Canada (Mha) |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.0 |
| 1991 | 1.6 |
| 1992 | 0.9 |
| 1993 | 2.0 |
| 1994 | 6.2 |
| 1995 | 7.5 |
| 1996 | 1.9 |
| 1997 | 0.6 |
| 1998 | 4.8 |
| 1999 | 1.8 |
| 2000 | 0.6 |
| 2001 | 0.7 |
| 2002 | 2.8 |
| 2003 | 2.2 |
| 2004 | 3.2 |
| 2005 | 1.7 |
| 2006 | 2.1 |
| 2007 | 1.8 |
| 2008 | 1.7 |
| 2009 | 0.8 |
| 2010 | 3.2 |
| 2011 | 2.4 |
| 2012 | 1.8 |
| 2013 | 4.3 |
| 2014 | 4.6 |
| 2015 | 3.9 |
| 2016 | 1.3 |
| 2017 | 3.6 |
| 2018 | 2.3 |
| 2019 | 1.8 |
| 2020 | 0.2 |
| 2021 | 4.1 |
| 2022 | 1.6 |
| 2023 | 17.6 |
| 2024 | 5.4 |
source notes & method
Values converted from km² (1 km² = 100 ha). Ratio 17.6/7.48 is derived. CIFFC's operational count for 2023 is slightly lower (17,203,625 ha) and names 1989 (7.6 Mha) as the prior record; either way 2023 is more than double. The 2025 figure (~8.9 Mha) is from ECCC's 'Canada's top 10 weather stories of 2025' and is not on the chart, as the National Forestry Database has not yet published 2025. Tunisia's total area is about 16.4 million ha (163,610 km²) (interpretation aid).
Published 3 Nov 2026
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