Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho

Lesotho: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 1,724 hectares in 2026. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2026)
1,724 hectares
Change on year
down 58.5%
World rank
131st
of 248 countries
All-time high
65,427 hectares
in 2013
All-time low
1,724 hectares
in 2026
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho, 2012–2026

020.0k40.0k60.0k2012201920262012: 5.8k hectares2013: 65.4k hectares2014: 59.9k hectares2015: 18.7k hectares2016: 4.6k hectares2017: 21.8k hectares2018: 9.3k hectares2019: 57.5k hectares2020: 17.1k hectares2021: 24.9k hectares2022: 24.4k hectares2023: 40.9k hectares2024: 54.6k hectares2025: 4.2k hectares2026: 1.7k hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho is 1,724 hectares, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 58.5% on the previous year and down 62.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho peaked at 65,427 hectares in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1,724 hectares, in 2026.

Lesotho ranks 131st of 248 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 30,377 hectares 4,629 hectares 65,427 hectares 8
2020s 23,966 hectares 1,724 hectares 54,635 hectares 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 128 Croatia 2,107 hectares compare
  2. 129 Jamaica 2,083 hectares compare
  3. 130 Afghanistan 1,982 hectares compare
  4. 132 Austria 1,687 hectares compare
  5. 133 Netherlands 1,677 hectares compare
  6. 134 French Guiana 1,521 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho?
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho was 1,724 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 Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 65,427 hectares in 2013.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 1,724 hectares in 2026.
How does Lesotho rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
Lesotho ranks 131st out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 62.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho 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

Indicator
Annual area burnt by wildfires
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
248 places, 3,720 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed

Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.