Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Namibia
Namibia: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 2.15 million hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Namibia, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 2.15 million hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2025.
The figure is up 103.6% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Namibia peaked at 8.75 million hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 916,635 hectares, in 2019.
That places Namibia 31st 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 by region in Namibia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3.15 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 3.14 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 3.67 million hectares | +17.1% |
| 2005 | 3.47 million hectares | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 5.19 million hectares | +49.6% |
| 2007 | 4.54 million hectares | -12.6% |
| 2008 | 2.84 million hectares | -37.5% |
| 2009 | 5.36 million hectares | +88.8% |
| 2010 | 4.75 million hectares | -11.3% |
| 2011 | 8.31 million hectares | +75.0% |
| 2012 | 8.75 million hectares | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 3.70 million hectares | -57.7% |
| 2014 | 2.63 million hectares | -29.1% |
| 2015 | 2.47 million hectares | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 2.09 million hectares | -15.5% |
| 2017 | 2.71 million hectares | +29.4% |
| 2018 | 1.99 million hectares | -26.5% |
| 2019 | 916,635 hectares | -53.9% |
| 2020 | 3.26 million hectares | +255.2% |
| 2021 | 3.93 million hectares | +20.8% |
| 2022 | 2.47 million hectares | -37.3% |
| 2023 | 2.40 million hectares | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 1.06 million hectares | -55.9% |
| 2025 | 2.15 million hectares | +103.6% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 2.15 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 7.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 2.15 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Namibia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +255.2% | 916,635 hectares | 3.26 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.92 million hectares | 2.84 million hectares | 5.36 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.83 million hectares | 916,635 hectares | 8.75 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.54 million hectares | 1.06 million hectares | 3.93 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More reference data data for Namibia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0579 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0157 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1306 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0853 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Namibia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Namibia was 2.15 million 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.75 million hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 916,635 hectares in 2019.
- How does Namibia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Namibia ranks 31st out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Namibia 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.