Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 1.98 million hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia, 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 Ethiopia stood at 1.98 million hectares. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 38.3% on the previous year and down 71.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia peaked at 7.44 million hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.98 million hectares, 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
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5.97 million hectares | — |
| 2013 | 6.99 million hectares | +17.1% |
| 2014 | 6.14 million hectares | -12.1% |
| 2015 | 7.44 million hectares | +21.2% |
| 2016 | 6.99 million hectares | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 6.13 million hectares | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 3.39 million hectares | -44.7% |
| 2019 | 5.22 million hectares | +54.1% |
| 2020 | 5.62 million hectares | +7.6% |
| 2021 | 6.50 million hectares | +15.6% |
| 2022 | 4.67 million hectares | -28.2% |
| 2023 | 4.01 million hectares | -14.0% |
| 2024 | 3.18 million hectares | -20.7% |
| 2025 | 3.21 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2026 | 1.98 million hectares | -38.3% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 1.98 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 198,497 hectares, 10.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 1.98 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 506,694 hectares, 3.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.03 million hectares | 3.39 million hectares | 7.44 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.17 million hectares | 1.98 million hectares | 6.50 million hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More reference data data for Ethiopia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6564 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 20.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 100.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.47 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Ethiopia was 1.98 million 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.44 million hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.98 million hectares 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 71.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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
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About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.