Burkina Faso vs Nigeria: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Burkina Faso
3.45 million hectares
in 2025
Nigeria
2.89 million hectares
in 2025
Burkina Faso rank
9th
Nigeria rank
12th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Burkina Faso
- Nigeria
How they compare
Burkina Faso currently reports 3.45 million hectares against 2.89 million hectares in Nigeria, a difference of 562,000 hectares.
That makes Burkina Faso's figure about 1.2 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Nigeria ahead.
Burkina Faso ranks 9th and Nigeria ranks 12th of 225 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Burkina Faso | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.94 million hectares | 4.17 million hectares | 1.22 million hectares | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 1.92 million hectares | 2.86 million hectares | 937,710 hectares | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 2.32 million hectares | 3.14 million hectares | 813,065 hectares | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Burkina Faso or Nigeria?
- Burkina Faso, at 3.45 million hectares against 2.89 million hectares in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Burkina Faso and Nigeria?
- 562,000 hectares, with Burkina Faso ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Burkina Faso and Nigeria?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Burkina Faso and Nigeria rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Burkina Faso ranks 9th and Nigeria ranks 12th 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.