Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda

Rwanda: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 50,273 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
50,273 hectares
Change on year
up 39.6%
World rank
83rd
of 225 countries
All-time high
65,278 hectares
in 2015
All-time low
5,946 hectares
in 2007
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda, 2002–2024

020.0k40.0k60.0k2002201320242002: 59.6k hectares2003: 37.5k hectares2004: 26.7k hectares2005: 26.9k hectares2006: 16.9k hectares2007: 5.9k hectares2008: 18.6k hectares2009: 14.0k hectares2010: 35.8k hectares2011: 7.7k hectares2012: 30.1k hectares2013: 36.2k hectares2014: 28.8k hectares2015: 65.3k hectares2016: 62.1k hectares2017: 53.6k hectares2018: 32.9k hectares2019: 37.9k hectares2020: 43.2k hectares2021: 37.4k hectares2022: 35.4k hectares2023: 36.0k hectares2024: 50.3k hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda is 50,273 hectares, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 39.6% on the previous year and up 74.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda peaked at 65,278 hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 5,946 hectares, in 2007.

Rwanda ranks 83rd of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 25,759 hectares 5,946 hectares 59,589 hectares 8
2010s 39,038 hectares 7,749 hectares 65,278 hectares 10
2020s 40,476 hectares 35,419 hectares 50,273 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 80 Egypt 59,375 hectares compare
  2. 81 Liberia 53,579 hectares compare
  3. 82 Suriname 52,785 hectares compare
  4. 84 Burundi 42,867 hectares compare
  5. 85 Greece 42,867 hectares compare
  6. 86 Lesotho 42,674 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda?
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda was 50,273 hectares in 2024, 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 Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 65,278 hectares in 2015.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 5,946 hectares in 2007.
How does Rwanda rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
Rwanda ranks 83rd out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is up 74.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Rwanda 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

Indicator
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
225 places, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.