Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 2.01 million in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
2.01 million
Change on year
down 37.6%
World rank
22nd
of 248 countries
All-time high
7.44 million
in 2015
All-time low
2.01 million
in 2026
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia, 2012–2026

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M2012201920262012: 6.0M2013: 7.0M2014: 6.1M2015: 7.4M2016: 7.0M2017: 6.1M2018: 3.4M2019: 5.2M2020: 5.6M2021: 6.5M2022: 4.7M2023: 4.0M2024: 3.2M2025: 3.2M2026: 2.0M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2026, annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia stood at 2.01 million. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is down 37.6% on the previous year and down 71.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia peaked at 7.44 million in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.01 million, in 2026.

That places Ethiopia 22nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia, 2012 to 2026.
Year Value Change
2012 5.97 million —
2013 6.99 million +17.1%
2014 6.14 million -12.1%
2015 7.44 million +21.2%
2016 6.99 million -6.1%
2017 6.13 million -12.3%
2018 3.39 million -44.7%
2019 5.22 million +54.1%
2020 5.62 million +7.6%
2021 6.50 million +15.6%
2022 4.67 million -28.2%
2023 4.01 million -14.0%
2024 3.18 million -20.7%
2025 3.21 million +1.0%
2026 2.01 million -37.6%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 2.01 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 198,497, 10.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 2.01 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 535,614, 3.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 6.03 million 3.39 million 7.44 million 8
2020s 4.17 million 2.01 million 6.50 million 7

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 19 Laos 2.64 million compare
  2. 20 Canada 2.62 million compare
  3. 21 China 2.34 million compare
  4. 23 Ghana 1.76 million compare
  5. 24 Madagascar 1.62 million compare
  6. 25 Cambodia 1.53 million compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia?
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia was 2.01 million in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 7.44 million in 2015.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.01 million in 2026.
How does Ethiopia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
Ethiopia ranks 22nd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 71.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/annual-area-burnt-by-wildfires/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual area burnt by wildfires
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
248 places, 3,720 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed