Are there more wildfires around the world in 2026 than ever before

Available 2026 data show record-high burned area and extreme fire activity in the *first months* of 2026, but there is not yet clear, authoritative evidence that the *total annual number of wildfires worldwide in 2026* is higher than in any previous year. Global datasets for 2026 are incomplete, and longer-term records indicate that total burned area has generally declined over recent decades even as extreme fires and losses have increased. The specific "more than ever before" claim about global wildfire counts in 2026 therefore cannot be confirmed at this time.

Attribution groups and media reports describe 2026 as having record burned area from January–April and warn that the year could become "particularly severe" for wildfires, which supports the idea of a record-breaking year.[1][3][9] However, global fire monitoring datasets show incomplete 2026 data so far and document that annual burned area has generally declined over the past two decades.[4][6][10] Recent analysis for 2025 found near all-time lows in global burned area despite record economic and human losses, illustrating that extreme fire impacts are not synonymous with higher global fire counts.[5] This creates substantial dissent regarding claims that 2026 has the highest number of fires ever worldwide.

Are there more wildfires around the world in 2026 than ever before

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