Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 5,409 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
5,409 hectares
Change on year
up 342.1%
World rank
117th
of 225 countries
All-time high
90,779 hectares
in 2005
All-time low
1,224 hectares
in 2024
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 5,409 hectares.
The figure is up 342.1% on the previous year and down 80.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sri Lanka peaked at 90,779 hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1,224 hectares, in 2024.
That places Sri Lanka 117th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 61,543 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 70,022 hectares | +13.8% |
| 2004 | 78,114 hectares | +11.6% |
| 2005 | 90,779 hectares | +16.2% |
| 2006 | 37,973 hectares | -58.2% |
| 2007 | 42,696 hectares | +12.4% |
| 2008 | 40,699 hectares | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 60,341 hectares | +48.3% |
| 2010 | 27,605 hectares | -54.3% |
| 2011 | 33,487 hectares | +21.3% |
| 2012 | 56,455 hectares | +68.6% |
| 2013 | 23,054 hectares | -59.2% |
| 2014 | 24,643 hectares | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 27,519 hectares | +11.7% |
| 2016 | 32,263 hectares | +17.2% |
| 2017 | 2,791 hectares | -91.4% |
| 2018 | 12,515 hectares | +348.5% |
| 2019 | 6,225 hectares | -50.3% |
| 2020 | 1,760 hectares | -71.7% |
| 2021 | 4,465 hectares | +153.7% |
| 2022 | 6,075 hectares | +36.1% |
| 2023 | 10,282 hectares | +69.3% |
| 2024 | 1,224 hectares | -88.1% |
| 2025 | 5,409 hectares | +342.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 5,409 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,022 hectares, 23% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 5,409 hectares is below the median for South Asia, which is 152,816 hectares, 4% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 60,271 hectares | 37,973 hectares | 90,779 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 24,656 hectares | 2,791 hectares | 56,455 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,869 hectares | 1,224 hectares | 10,282 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 114 Germany 6,697 hectares compare
- 115 Haiti 6,397 hectares compare
- 116 Tunisia 6,139 hectares compare
- 118 Kyrgyzstan 4,250 hectares compare
- 119 Afghanistan 4,250 hectares compare
- 120 Tajikistan 3,435 hectares compare
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sri Lanka?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Sri Lanka was 5,409 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 90,779 hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,224 hectares in 2024.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Sri Lanka ranks 117th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 80.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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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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.