Botswana vs Namibia: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Botswana
2.59 million hectares
in 2025
Namibia
2.15 million hectares
in 2025
Botswana rank
13th
Namibia rank
15th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Botswana
- Namibia
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 2.59 million hectares against 2.15 million hectares in Namibia, a difference of 438,990 hectares.
That makes Botswana's figure about 1.2 times Namibia's.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Botswana ahead.
Botswana ranks 13th and Namibia ranks 15th of 225 countries.
Botswana has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | Namibia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.40 million hectares | 3.90 million hectares | 497,729 hectares | Botswana |
| 2010s | 5.35 million hectares | 3.82 million hectares | 1.54 million hectares | Botswana |
| 2020s | 6.11 million hectares | 2.53 million hectares | 3.57 million hectares | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Botswana or Namibia?
- Botswana, at 2.59 million hectares against 2.15 million hectares in Namibia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Botswana and Namibia?
- 438,990 hectares, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and Namibia?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Botswana and Namibia rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Botswana ranks 13th and Namibia ranks 15th of 225 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Area burned by wildfires by land cover type. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.