Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Lesotho

Lesotho: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 42,674 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
42,674 hectares
Change on year
up 21.4%
World rank
86th
of 225 countries
All-time high
130,877 hectares
in 2003
All-time low
7,084 hectares
in 2018
Years of data
23
2002–2024

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

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k2002201320242002: 45.1k hectares2003: 130.9k hectares2004: 37.0k hectares2005: 60.1k hectares2006: 46.2k hectares2007: 123.7k hectares2008: 21.7k hectares2009: 56.3k hectares2010: 44.9k hectares2011: 102.5k hectares2012: 55.2k hectares2013: 42.3k hectares2014: 34.4k hectares2015: 44.2k hectares2016: 69.1k hectares2017: 20.5k hectares2018: 7.1k hectares2019: 27.4k hectares2020: 7.4k hectares2021: 41.9k hectares2022: 25.8k hectares2023: 35.1k hectares2024: 42.7k hectares

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Lesotho is 42,674 hectares, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 21.4% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Lesotho peaked at 130,877 hectares in 2003 and was at its lowest, 7,084 hectares, in 2018.

Lesotho ranks 86th of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 65,127 hectares 21,724 hectares 130,877 hectares 8
2010s 44,750 hectares 7,084 hectares 102,457 hectares 10
2020s 30,563 hectares 7,384 hectares 42,674 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 83 Rwanda 50,273 hectares compare
  2. 84 Burundi 42,867 hectares compare
  3. 85 Greece 42,867 hectares compare
  4. 87 Romania 35,955 hectares compare
  5. 88 Bulgaria 34,453 hectares compare
  6. 89 Azerbaijan 34,217 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Lesotho?
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Lesotho was 42,674 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 Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 130,877 hectares in 2003.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 7,084 hectares in 2018.
How does Lesotho rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
Lesotho ranks 86th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho 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.