Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Mauritania
Mauritania: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 277,060 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Mauritania, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 277,060 hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2025.
The figure is up 35.3% on the previous year and up 551.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Mauritania peaked at 848,760 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 22,475 hectares, in 2018.
That places Mauritania 59th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Mauritania, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 92,754 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 32,843 hectares | -64.6% |
| 2004 | 264,524 hectares | +705.4% |
| 2005 | 292,666 hectares | +10.6% |
| 2006 | 330,360 hectares | +12.9% |
| 2007 | 848,760 hectares | +156.9% |
| 2008 | 374,172 hectares | -55.9% |
| 2009 | 370,050 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 645,285 hectares | +74.4% |
| 2011 | 292,129 hectares | -54.7% |
| 2012 | 283,757 hectares | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 267,722 hectares | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 36,299 hectares | -86.4% |
| 2015 | 42,524 hectares | +17.1% |
| 2016 | 161,015 hectares | +278.6% |
| 2017 | 81,828 hectares | -49.2% |
| 2018 | 22,475 hectares | -72.5% |
| 2019 | 157,280 hectares | +599.8% |
| 2020 | 158,311 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 271,715 hectares | +71.6% |
| 2022 | 157,774 hectares | -41.9% |
| 2023 | 270,084 hectares | +71.2% |
| 2024 | 204,763 hectares | -24.2% |
| 2025 | 277,060 hectares | +35.3% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 277,060 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 98% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 277,060 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 22% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Mauritania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +705.4% | 32,843 hectares | 264,524 hectares |
| 2019 | +599.8% | 22,475 hectares | 157,280 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 325,766 hectares | 32,843 hectares | 848,760 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 199,031 hectares | 22,475 hectares | 645,285 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 223,284 hectares | 157,774 hectares | 277,060 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More reference data data for Mauritania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0975 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0216 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.327 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1178 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Mauritania?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Mauritania was 277,060 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 848,760 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 22,475 hectares in 2018.
- How does Mauritania rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Mauritania ranks 59th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 551.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.