Overview

• Severe economic wildfire disasters increased 4.4-fold over 1980–2023, according to the global analysis.
• Of the 200 costliest fires in that period, 43% occurred from 2015 onward, and 51% of events topping $1 billion in damage happened after 2015.
• Losses peaked in 2018 at $28.3 billion, equal to 5.1 times the 44-year average and about 0.03% of global GDP.
• Mediterranean-type regions were overrepresented by a factor of 12.1 and temperate conifer forests by 4.3, with boreal forests also disproportionately affected.
• The study, using EM-DAT and Munich Re’s NatCatService records, tallied 85 fires with at least 10 deaths and urges adaptation to a more fire-prone world amid persistent data gaps.