Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Malaysia
Malaysia: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 7,191 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia stood at 7,191 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 76.7% on the previous year and down 80.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Malaysia peaked at 114,928 hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 794.24 hectares, in 2017.
Malaysia ranks 113th 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.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 37,093 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 45,207 hectares | +21.9% |
| 2004 | 98,829 hectares | +118.6% |
| 2005 | 114,928 hectares | +16.3% |
| 2006 | 22,002 hectares | -80.9% |
| 2007 | 40,978 hectares | +86.2% |
| 2008 | 17,688 hectares | -56.8% |
| 2009 | 95,781 hectares | +441.5% |
| 2010 | 59,546 hectares | -37.8% |
| 2011 | 49,414 hectares | -17.0% |
| 2012 | 18,525 hectares | -62.5% |
| 2013 | 33,315 hectares | +79.8% |
| 2014 | 94,514 hectares | +183.7% |
| 2015 | 36,213 hectares | -61.7% |
| 2016 | 53,965 hectares | +49.0% |
| 2017 | 794.24 hectares | -98.5% |
| 2018 | 18,568 hectares | +2237.8% |
| 2019 | 33,680 hectares | +81.4% |
| 2020 | 14,940 hectares | -55.6% |
| 2021 | 12,042 hectares | -19.4% |
| 2022 | 3,842 hectares | -68.1% |
| 2023 | 11,871 hectares | +208.9% |
| 2024 | 30,868 hectares | +160.0% |
| 2025 | 7,191 hectares | -76.7% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 7,191 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,022 hectares, 31% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 7,191 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 665.44 hectares, 10.8× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +2237.8% | 794.24 hectares | 18,568 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 59,063 hectares | 17,688 hectares | 114,928 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 39,854 hectares | 794.24 hectares | 94,514 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 13,459 hectares | 3,842 hectares | 30,868 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Malaysia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Malaysia was 7,191 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 114,928 hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 794.24 hectares in 2017.
- How does Malaysia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Malaysia ranks 113th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia 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
Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.