Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Kenya
Kenya: Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis was 318,210 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Kenya, 2002–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Kenya stood at 318,210.
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 gwis in Kenya peaked at 861,812 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 54,244, 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 gwis in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 258,170 | — |
| 2003 | 535,316 | +107.4% |
| 2004 | 187,440 | -65.0% |
| 2005 | 283,500 | +51.2% |
| 2006 | 93,742 | -66.9% |
| 2007 | 784,577 | +737.0% |
| 2008 | 315,098 | -59.8% |
| 2009 | 132,359 | -58.0% |
| 2010 | 172,307 | +30.2% |
| 2011 | 158,633 | -7.9% |
| 2012 | 861,812 | +443.3% |
| 2013 | 305,545 | -64.5% |
| 2014 | 185,487 | -39.3% |
| 2015 | 190,252 | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 204,505 | +7.5% |
| 2017 | 54,244 | -73.5% |
| 2018 | 137,360 | +153.2% |
| 2019 | 238,851 | +73.9% |
| 2020 | 537,334 | +125.0% |
| 2021 | 246,943 | -54.0% |
| 2022 | 114,327 | -53.7% |
| 2023 | 86,186 | -24.6% |
| 2024 | 352,019 | +308.4% |
| 2025 | 318,210 | -9.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 318,210 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 318,210 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million, 26% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis 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 | 784,577 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 323,775 | 93,742 | 784,577 | 8 |
| 2010s | 250,900 | 54,244 | 861,812 | 10 |
| 2020s | 275,836 | 86,186 | 537,334 | 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 gwis in Kenya?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Kenya was 318,210 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 861,812 in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 54,244 in 2017.
- How does Kenya rank for annual area burnt by wildfires gwis?
- Kenya ranks 56th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis. 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).