Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia
Zambia: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 22.15 million hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia stood at 22.15 million hectares.
The figure is up 10.3% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia peaked at 26.34 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 20.07 million hectares, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 6th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.69 million hectares | 20.57 million hectares | 26.34 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 23.29 million hectares | 21.59 million hectares | 24.62 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.13 million hectares | 20.07 million hectares | 22.25 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 3 Democratic Republic of Congo 33.96 million hectares compare
- 4 South Sudan 29.68 million hectares compare
- 5 Brazil 25.09 million hectares compare
- 7 Mozambique 17.67 million hectares compare
- 8 Central African Republic 14.76 million hectares compare
- 9 Bolivia 11.00 million hectares compare
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3261 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5273 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2981 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia was 22.15 million hectares in 2024, 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 26.34 million hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.07 million hectares in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Zambia ranks 6th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.