Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Zambia
Zambia: Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis was 22.77 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
22.77 million
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
5th
of 225 countries
All-time high
26.34 million
in 2005
All-time low
20.07 million
in 2023
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Zambia, 2002–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Zambia stood at 22.77 million.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Zambia peaked at 26.34 million in 2005 and was at its lowest, 20.07 million, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 5th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 21.87 million | — |
| 2003 | 25.22 million | +15.3% |
| 2004 | 25.14 million | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 26.34 million | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 22.13 million | -16.0% |
| 2007 | 23.83 million | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 24.46 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 20.57 million | -15.9% |
| 2010 | 23.73 million | +15.4% |
| 2011 | 23.04 million | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 24.05 million | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 24.26 million | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 23.13 million | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 24.62 million | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 24.12 million | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 21.60 million | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 21.59 million | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 22.76 million | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 20.85 million | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 20.35 million | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 22.25 million | +9.4% |
| 2023 | 20.07 million | -9.8% |
| 2024 | 22.15 million | +10.3% |
| 2025 | 22.77 million | +2.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 22.77 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554, 80.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 22.77 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million, 18.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.69 million | 20.57 million | 26.34 million | 8 |
| 2010s | 23.29 million | 21.59 million | 24.62 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.41 million | 20.07 million | 22.77 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 2 Angola 34.83 million compare
- 3 Democratic Republic of Congo 31.02 million compare
- 4 South Sudan 26.58 million compare
- 6 Mozambique 16.49 million compare
- 7 Central African Republic 13.20 million compare
- 8 Brazil 10.29 million compare
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0941 (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 (2026)
- Country level monthly temperature anomalies 0.3261 (2026)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Urban area long term, annual growth rate 3.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban area long term, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban area long term, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Zambia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Zambia was 22.77 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.34 million in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.07 million in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires gwis?
- Zambia ranks 5th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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).