Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda
Rwanda: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 33,594 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda, 2002–2025
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 33,594 hectares, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 33.2% on the previous year and down 48.5% 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 87th of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 59,589 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 37,479 hectares | -37.1% |
| 2004 | 26,725 hectares | -28.7% |
| 2005 | 26,854 hectares | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 16,894 hectares | -37.1% |
| 2007 | 5,946 hectares | -64.8% |
| 2008 | 18,589 hectares | +212.6% |
| 2009 | 13,996 hectares | -24.7% |
| 2010 | 35,805 hectares | +155.8% |
| 2011 | 7,749 hectares | -78.4% |
| 2012 | 30,074 hectares | +288.1% |
| 2013 | 36,213 hectares | +20.4% |
| 2014 | 28,764 hectares | -20.6% |
| 2015 | 65,278 hectares | +126.9% |
| 2016 | 62,122 hectares | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 53,579 hectares | -13.8% |
| 2018 | 32,929 hectares | -38.5% |
| 2019 | 37,866 hectares | +15.0% |
| 2020 | 43,232 hectares | +14.2% |
| 2021 | 37,436 hectares | -13.4% |
| 2022 | 35,419 hectares | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 36,020 hectares | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 50,273 hectares | +39.6% |
| 2025 | 33,594 hectares | -33.2% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 33,594 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 582,455 hectares, 6% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 33,594 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 3% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +288.1% | 7,749 hectares | 30,074 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25,759 hectares | 5,946 hectares | 59,589 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 39,038 hectares | 7,749 hectares | 65,278 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 39,329 hectares | 33,594 hectares | 50,273 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More reference data data for Rwanda
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2282 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1223 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7651 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.666 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Rwanda was 33,594 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 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 87th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.5%. 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.
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.