Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Botswana

Botswana: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 2.19 million hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.19 million hectares
Change on year
down 79.4%
World rank
30th
of 225 countries
All-time high
16.52 million hectares
in 2011
All-time low
1.18 million hectares
in 2019
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Botswana, 2002–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M2002201320242002: 8.2M hectares2003: 1.4M hectares2004: 1.8M hectares2005: 2.8M hectares2006: 5.2M hectares2007: 2.8M hectares2008: 11.0M hectares2009: 2.2M hectares2010: 13.4M hectares2011: 16.5M hectares2012: 5.0M hectares2013: 4.0M hectares2014: 2.9M hectares2015: 1.9M hectares2016: 1.5M hectares2017: 4.8M hectares2018: 2.8M hectares2019: 1.2M hectares2020: 3.2M hectares2021: 10.6M hectares2022: 7.5M hectares2023: 10.6M hectares2024: 2.2M hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Botswana recorded 2.19 million hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 79.4% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Botswana peaked at 16.52 million hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.18 million hectares, in 2019.

Botswana ranks 30th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.42 million hectares 1.40 million hectares 10.99 million hectares 8
2010s 5.39 million hectares 1.18 million hectares 16.52 million hectares 10
2020s 6.83 million hectares 2.19 million hectares 10.64 million hectares 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 27 Guinea 3.53 million hectares compare
  2. 28 India 3.46 million hectares compare
  3. 29 Myanmar 2.66 million hectares compare
  4. 31 Cameroon 2.18 million hectares compare
  5. 32 Cambodia 2.17 million hectares compare
  6. 33 Paraguay 1.94 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Botswana?
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Botswana was 2.19 million hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 16.52 million hectares in 2011.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 1.18 million hectares in 2019.
How does Botswana rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
Botswana ranks 30th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires by region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
225 places, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.