Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 582,455 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sierra Leone, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sierra Leone stood at 582,455 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 36.8% on the previous year and down 59.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sierra Leone peaked at 1.73 million hectares in 2006 and was at its lowest, 422,770 hectares, in 2010.
Sierra Leone ranks 47th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 552,510 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 1.04 million hectares | +88.3% |
| 2004 | 1.08 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 916,829 hectares | -14.7% |
| 2006 | 1.73 million hectares | +88.8% |
| 2007 | 1.43 million hectares | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 805,271 hectares | -43.7% |
| 2009 | 787,325 hectares | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 422,770 hectares | -46.3% |
| 2011 | 577,389 hectares | +36.6% |
| 2012 | 1.04 million hectares | +80.5% |
| 2013 | 822,808 hectares | -21.1% |
| 2014 | 936,427 hectares | +13.8% |
| 2015 | 1.44 million hectares | +53.4% |
| 2016 | 1.05 million hectares | -27.1% |
| 2017 | 900,257 hectares | -14.0% |
| 2018 | 661,020 hectares | -26.6% |
| 2019 | 593,961 hectares | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 561,526 hectares | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 546,779 hectares | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 774,832 hectares | +41.7% |
| 2023 | 544,546 hectares | -29.7% |
| 2024 | 921,444 hectares | +69.2% |
| 2025 | 582,455 hectares | -36.8% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 582,455 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 582,455 hectares, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 582,455 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 47% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.04 million hectares | 552,510 hectares | 1.73 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 844,008 hectares | 422,770 hectares | 1.44 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 655,264 hectares | 544,546 hectares | 921,444 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0238 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6534 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sierra Leone?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sierra Leone was 582,455 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1.73 million hectares in 2006.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 422,770 hectares in 2010.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Sierra Leone ranks 47th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.