Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Laos
Laos: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 441,939 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Laos, 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 Laos stood at 441,939 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 59.2% on the previous year and down 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Laos peaked at 1.90 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 236,253 hectares, in 2022.
Laos ranks 50th 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.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Laos, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 358,051 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 451,449 hectares | +26.1% |
| 2004 | 1.41 million hectares | +212.9% |
| 2005 | 935,332 hectares | -33.8% |
| 2006 | 418,756 hectares | -55.2% |
| 2007 | 1.65 million hectares | +293.6% |
| 2008 | 353,071 hectares | -78.6% |
| 2009 | 565,347 hectares | +60.1% |
| 2010 | 1.54 million hectares | +172.5% |
| 2011 | 321,602 hectares | -79.1% |
| 2012 | 688,088 hectares | +114.0% |
| 2013 | 812,569 hectares | +18.1% |
| 2014 | 620,342 hectares | -23.7% |
| 2015 | 736,494 hectares | +18.7% |
| 2016 | 1.12 million hectares | +51.7% |
| 2017 | 406,242 hectares | -63.6% |
| 2018 | 332,227 hectares | -18.2% |
| 2019 | 692,231 hectares | +108.4% |
| 2020 | 1.37 million hectares | +97.6% |
| 2021 | 394,886 hectares | -71.1% |
| 2022 | 236,253 hectares | -40.2% |
| 2023 | 1.90 million hectares | +704.8% |
| 2024 | 1.08 million hectares | -43.1% |
| 2025 | 441,939 hectares | -59.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 441,939 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 1.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 441,939 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 665.44 hectares, 664.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 767,880 hectares | 353,071 hectares | 1.65 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 726,756 hectares | 321,602 hectares | 1.54 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 904,143 hectares | 236,253 hectares | 1.90 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Laos
More reference data data for Laos
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6615 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.913 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.64 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Laos?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Laos was 441,939 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 1.90 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 236,253 hectares in 2022.
- How does Laos rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Laos ranks 50th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Laos 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.