Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region was 1.32 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 1.32 million hectares.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 65.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zimbabwe peaked at 4.72 million hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 999,880 hectares, in 2020.
That places Zimbabwe 38th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2.35 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 2.61 million hectares | +11.1% |
| 2004 | 3.55 million hectares | +35.9% |
| 2005 | 3.34 million hectares | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 3.11 million hectares | -6.8% |
| 2007 | 3.92 million hectares | +25.8% |
| 2008 | 4.48 million hectares | +14.4% |
| 2009 | 4.48 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 4.72 million hectares | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 4.66 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 3.75 million hectares | -19.7% |
| 2013 | 2.87 million hectares | -23.3% |
| 2014 | 3.10 million hectares | +8.0% |
| 2015 | 3.82 million hectares | +22.9% |
| 2016 | 2.28 million hectares | -40.4% |
| 2017 | 2.52 million hectares | +10.9% |
| 2018 | 2.64 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 2.57 million hectares | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 999,880 hectares | -61.1% |
| 2021 | 1.81 million hectares | +81.0% |
| 2022 | 2.80 million hectares | +54.6% |
| 2023 | 2.17 million hectares | -22.3% |
| 2024 | 1.34 million hectares | -38.5% |
| 2025 | 1.32 million hectares | -1.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 1.32 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 283,554 hectares, 4.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 1.32 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.23 million hectares, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.48 million hectares | 2.35 million hectares | 4.48 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.29 million hectares | 2.28 million hectares | 4.72 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.74 million hectares | 999,880 hectares | 2.80 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (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 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zimbabwe?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region in Zimbabwe was 1.32 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 4.72 million hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires by region recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 999,880 hectares in 2020.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- Zimbabwe ranks 38th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires by region rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.