Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nepal
Nepal: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 152,816 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nepal, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 152,816 hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2025.
The figure is down 70.5% on the previous year and up 338.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nepal peaked at 602,804 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 24,149 hectares, in 2002.
That places Nepal 65th 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 24,149 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 187,633 hectares | +677.0% |
| 2004 | 163,613 hectares | -12.8% |
| 2005 | 165,073 hectares | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 91,187 hectares | -44.8% |
| 2007 | 67,575 hectares | -25.9% |
| 2008 | 139,872 hectares | +107.0% |
| 2009 | 207,167 hectares | +48.1% |
| 2010 | 224,125 hectares | +8.2% |
| 2011 | 122,935 hectares | -45.1% |
| 2012 | 214,551 hectares | +74.5% |
| 2013 | 220,927 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 240,589 hectares | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 34,882 hectares | -85.5% |
| 2016 | 602,804 hectares | +1628.1% |
| 2017 | 133,646 hectares | -77.8% |
| 2018 | 120,059 hectares | -10.2% |
| 2019 | 311,792 hectares | +159.7% |
| 2020 | 55,725 hectares | -82.1% |
| 2021 | 371,317 hectares | +566.3% |
| 2022 | 121,733 hectares | -67.2% |
| 2023 | 278,863 hectares | +129.1% |
| 2024 | 518,465 hectares | +85.9% |
| 2025 | 152,816 hectares | -70.5% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 152,816 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 54% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 152,816 hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 152,816 hectares, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +1628.1% | 34,882 hectares | 602,804 hectares |
| 2003 | +677.0% | 24,149 hectares | 187,633 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 130,784 hectares | 24,149 hectares | 207,167 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 222,631 hectares | 34,882 hectares | 602,804 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 249,820 hectares | 55,725 hectares | 518,465 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More reference data data for Nepal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7753 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7853 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7974 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.28 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nepal?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nepal was 152,816 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 602,804 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,149 hectares in 2002.
- How does Nepal rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Nepal ranks 65th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 338.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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.