Annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana
Botswana: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 459,260 hectares in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana stood at 459,260 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 44.4% on the previous year and down 43.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana peaked at 5.21 million hectares in 2021 and was at its lowest, 459,260 hectares, in 2026.
Botswana ranks 46th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2.11 million hectares | — |
| 2013 | 1.84 million hectares | -13.0% |
| 2014 | 1.11 million hectares | -39.4% |
| 2015 | 1.17 million hectares | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 818,335 hectares | -29.9% |
| 2017 | 2.58 million hectares | +215.5% |
| 2018 | 1.36 million hectares | -47.5% |
| 2019 | 865,061 hectares | -36.2% |
| 2020 | 1.44 million hectares | +66.8% |
| 2021 | 5.21 million hectares | +261.2% |
| 2022 | 3.80 million hectares | -27.0% |
| 2023 | 4.42 million hectares | +16.1% |
| 2024 | 819,930 hectares | -81.4% |
| 2025 | 825,994 hectares | +0.7% |
| 2026 | 459,260 hectares | -44.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 459,260 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38,000 hectares, 12.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 459,260 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 506,694 hectares, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +261.2% | 1.44 million hectares | 5.21 million hectares |
| 2017 | +215.5% | 818,335 hectares | 2.58 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.48 million hectares | 818,335 hectares | 2.58 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.43 million hectares | 459,260 hectares | 5.21 million hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0825 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0424 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Botswana was 459,260 hectares in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 5.21 million hectares in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 459,260 hectares in 2026.
- How does Botswana rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Botswana ranks 46th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.