Annual area burnt by wildfires in Madagascar

Madagascar: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 729,185 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
729,185 hectares
Change on year
down 72.4%
World rank
34th
of 248 countries
All-time high
6.36 million hectares
in 2016
All-time low
729,185 hectares
in 2026
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual area burnt by wildfires in Madagascar, 2012–2026

02.0M4.0M6.0M2012201920262012: 5.0M hectares2013: 6.2M hectares2014: 4.9M hectares2015: 5.0M hectares2016: 6.4M hectares2017: 4.7M hectares2018: 5.4M hectares2019: 4.5M hectares2020: 5.5M hectares2021: 4.5M hectares2022: 4.1M hectares2023: 4.1M hectares2024: 3.8M hectares2025: 2.6M hectares2026: 729.2k 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 Madagascar is 729,185 hectares, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of down 72.4% on the previous year and down 88.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Madagascar peaked at 6.36 million hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 729,185 hectares, in 2026.

That places Madagascar 34th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 5.26 million hectares 4.52 million hectares 6.36 million hectares 8
2020s 3.63 million hectares 729,185 hectares 5.52 million hectares 7

Countries ranked near Madagascar

  1. 31 Colombia 902,699 hectares compare
  2. 32 Sierra Leone 731,535 hectares compare
  3. 33 Congo 730,044 hectares compare
  4. 35 Indonesia 655,590 hectares compare
  5. 36 Bolivia 587,344 hectares compare
  6. 37 Argentina 568,525 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for Madagascar

All data for Madagascar →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Madagascar?
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Madagascar was 729,185 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 Madagascar?
The highest recorded value was 6.36 million hectares in 2016.
What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Madagascar?
The lowest recorded value was 729,185 hectares in 2026.
How does Madagascar rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
Madagascar ranks 34th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Madagascar?
Over the last ten years it is down 88.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Madagascar 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.

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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.