Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis was 5,409 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
5,409
Change on year
up 342.1%
World rank
117th
of 225 countries
All-time high
90,779
in 2005
All-time low
1,224
in 2024
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Sri Lanka, 2002–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Sri Lanka stood at 5,409.
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 gwis in Sri Lanka peaked at 90,779 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1,224, 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 gwis in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 61,543 | — |
| 2003 | 70,022 | +13.8% |
| 2004 | 78,114 | +11.6% |
| 2005 | 90,779 | +16.2% |
| 2006 | 37,973 | -58.2% |
| 2007 | 42,696 | +12.4% |
| 2008 | 40,699 | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 60,341 | +48.3% |
| 2010 | 27,605 | -54.3% |
| 2011 | 33,487 | +21.3% |
| 2012 | 56,455 | +68.6% |
| 2013 | 23,054 | -59.2% |
| 2014 | 24,643 | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 27,519 | +11.7% |
| 2016 | 32,263 | +17.2% |
| 2017 | 2,791 | -91.4% |
| 2018 | 12,515 | +348.5% |
| 2019 | 6,225 | -50.3% |
| 2020 | 1,760 | -71.7% |
| 2021 | 4,465 | +153.7% |
| 2022 | 6,075 | +36.1% |
| 2023 | 10,282 | +69.3% |
| 2024 | 1,224 | -88.1% |
| 2025 | 5,409 | +342.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 5,409 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,022, 23% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 5,409 is below the median for South Asia, which is 152,816, 4% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 60,271 | 37,973 | 90,779 | 8 |
| 2010s | 24,656 | 2,791 | 56,455 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,869 | 1,224 | 10,282 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 114 Germany 6,697 compare
- 115 Haiti 6,397 compare
- 116 Tunisia 6,139 compare
- 118 Kyrgyzstan 4,250 compare
- 119 Afghanistan 4,250 compare
- 120 Tajikistan 3,435 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 gwis in Sri Lanka?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Sri Lanka was 5,409 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 90,779 in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,224 in 2024.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual area burnt by wildfires gwis?
- Sri Lanka ranks 117th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis. 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).