Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho
Lesotho: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 4,933 in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho is 4,933, measured in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.7% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho peaked at 65,427 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4,157, in 2025.
Lesotho ranks 129th 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.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5,774 | — |
| 2013 | 65,427 | +1033.1% |
| 2014 | 59,946 | -8.4% |
| 2015 | 18,651 | -68.9% |
| 2016 | 4,629 | -75.2% |
| 2017 | 21,834 | +371.7% |
| 2018 | 9,258 | -57.6% |
| 2019 | 57,494 | +521.0% |
| 2020 | 17,122 | -70.2% |
| 2021 | 24,880 | +45.3% |
| 2022 | 24,395 | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 40,850 | +67.5% |
| 2024 | 54,635 | +33.7% |
| 2025 | 4,157 | -92.4% |
| 2026 | 4,933 | +18.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 4,933 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 156,215, 3% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 4,933 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 535,614, 1% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +1033.1% | 5,774 | 65,427 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 30,377 | 4,629 | 65,427 | 8 |
| 2020s | 24,425 | 4,157 | 54,635 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0331 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5388 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0101 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1115 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0549 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Lesotho was 4,933 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 65,427 in 2013.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,157 in 2025.
- How does Lesotho rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Lesotho ranks 129th 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 up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).