Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya
Kenya: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 318,210 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya stood at 318,210 hectares.
The figure is down 9.6% on the previous year and up 67.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya peaked at 861,812 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 54,244 hectares, in 2017.
That places Kenya 56th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 258,170 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 535,316 hectares | +107.4% |
| 2004 | 187,440 hectares | -65.0% |
| 2005 | 283,500 hectares | +51.2% |
| 2006 | 93,742 hectares | -66.9% |
| 2007 | 784,577 hectares | +737.0% |
| 2008 | 315,098 hectares | -59.8% |
| 2009 | 132,359 hectares | -58.0% |
| 2010 | 172,307 hectares | +30.2% |
| 2011 | 158,633 hectares | -7.9% |
| 2012 | 861,812 hectares | +443.3% |
| 2013 | 305,545 hectares | -64.5% |
| 2014 | 185,487 hectares | -39.3% |
| 2015 | 190,252 hectares | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 204,505 hectares | +7.5% |
| 2017 | 54,244 hectares | -73.5% |
| 2018 | 137,360 hectares | +153.2% |
| 2019 | 238,851 hectares | +73.9% |
| 2020 | 537,334 hectares | +125.0% |
| 2021 | 246,943 hectares | -54.0% |
| 2022 | 114,327 hectares | -53.7% |
| 2023 | 86,186 hectares | -24.6% |
| 2024 | 352,019 hectares | +308.4% |
| 2025 | 318,210 hectares | -9.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 318,210 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 318,210 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 26% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +737.0% | 93,742 hectares | 784,577 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 323,775 hectares | 93,742 hectares | 784,577 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 250,900 hectares | 54,244 hectares | 861,812 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 275,836 hectares | 86,186 hectares | 537,334 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Kenya was 318,210 hectares in 2025, 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 861,812 hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 54,244 hectares in 2017.
- How does Kenya rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Kenya ranks 56th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 67.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.