According to an evaluation conducted by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), in 2026, the total area burned by vegetation fires in Germany was double the average of the past ten years. The assessment, reported by the Funke media group, found that a total of 4,345 hectares were lost to fires, which is equivalent to about 6,000 football fields. The largest areas burned in previous years were only registered in 2022 and 2025.
Forest fires accounted for only one-fifth of the total burned area in Germany; the majority consisted of fires in heath, moor, and grassland. An additional two percent of the burned land was used for agriculture. Environmental economist Adrian Santonja di Fonzo, the author of the study, pointed out that although forest fires make up a smaller portion of the total, they cause particularly severe ecological damage because the affected stands take decades to regenerate. From his perspective, the fact that the three years showing the highest burn rates all fall within the recent period suggests a worsening situation in Germany.
For the fire season tally, Santonja di Fonzo analyzed data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Satellite data allow for the analysis of the ongoing season, meaning that the official German fire statistics for 2026 will not be available until the coming year. The evaluation covers the years 2016 to 2026, as changes in data collection methods complicate comparisons with previous years.
In Southern Europe, increasingly higher temperatures and droughts-consequences of climate change-are also markedly visible in fire statistics. According to the DIW analysis, by the end of September, approximately 742,000 hectares across the EU had burned. This figure represents the third-highest mark for that time of year over the past decade. While the fire season in the south of the continent is not yet over due to the high temperatures, a final annual balance remains impossible for now. Spain holds the largest share of the burned area at 310,000 hectares, followed by Italy (130,000 hectares) and France (110,000 hectares).
In the Mediterranean region, a significant trend reversal is taking shape. Previously, advancements in firefighting efforts had led to a decline in the extent of burnt land since the 1980s. However, several recent fire years with major damage since 2020 suggest that this historical development may be coming to an end.
