Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nigeria
Nigeria: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 6.52 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nigeria, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 6.52 million hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nigeria peaked at 13.64 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 5.75 million hectares, in 2014.
That places Nigeria 12th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 9.52 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 12.14 million hectares | +27.4% |
| 2004 | 10.60 million hectares | -12.7% |
| 2005 | 13.64 million hectares | +28.7% |
| 2006 | 10.66 million hectares | -21.8% |
| 2007 | 10.15 million hectares | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 9.09 million hectares | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 6.99 million hectares | -23.0% |
| 2010 | 8.19 million hectares | +17.2% |
| 2011 | 7.06 million hectares | -13.9% |
| 2012 | 6.21 million hectares | -12.0% |
| 2013 | 6.10 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 5.75 million hectares | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 6.58 million hectares | +14.5% |
| 2016 | 9.53 million hectares | +44.8% |
| 2017 | 7.37 million hectares | -22.6% |
| 2018 | 5.76 million hectares | -21.8% |
| 2019 | 6.32 million hectares | +9.7% |
| 2020 | 7.47 million hectares | +18.1% |
| 2021 | 7.78 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 8.76 million hectares | +12.6% |
| 2023 | 7.43 million hectares | -15.2% |
| 2024 | 6.70 million hectares | -9.8% |
| 2025 | 6.52 million hectares | -2.7% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 6.52 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 23.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 6.52 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 5.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.35 million hectares | 6.99 million hectares | 13.64 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 6.89 million hectares | 5.75 million hectares | 9.53 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.44 million hectares | 6.52 million hectares | 8.76 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nigeria?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Nigeria was 6.52 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 13.64 million hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.75 million hectares in 2014.
- How does Nigeria rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Nigeria ranks 12th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.