Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia
Zambia: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 22.77 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
22.77 million hectares
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
5th
of 225 countries
All-time high
26.34 million hectares
in 2005
All-time low
20.07 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zambia, 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 Zambia stood at 22.77 million hectares.
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 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 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 by region in Zambia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 21.87 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 25.22 million hectares | +15.3% |
| 2004 | 25.14 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 26.34 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 22.13 million hectares | -16.0% |
| 2007 | 23.83 million hectares | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 24.46 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 20.57 million hectares | -15.9% |
| 2010 | 23.73 million hectares | +15.4% |
| 2011 | 23.04 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 24.05 million hectares | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 24.26 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 23.13 million hectares | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 24.62 million hectares | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 24.12 million hectares | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 21.60 million hectares | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 21.59 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 22.76 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 20.85 million hectares | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 20.35 million hectares | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 22.25 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 2023 | 20.07 million hectares | -9.8% |
| 2024 | 22.15 million hectares | +10.3% |
| 2025 | 22.77 million hectares | +2.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 22.77 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 80.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 22.77 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 18.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
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 | 21.41 million hectares | 20.07 million hectares | 22.77 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 2 Angola 34.83 million hectares compare
- 3 Democratic Republic of Congo 31.02 million hectares compare
- 4 South Sudan 26.58 million hectares compare
- 6 Mozambique 16.49 million hectares compare
- 7 Central African Republic 13.20 million hectares compare
- 8 Brazil 10.29 million hectares compare
More reference data data for Zambia
- 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)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (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 22.77 million 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 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 5th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region 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 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.