Annual area burnt by wildfires in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 731,535 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone stood at 731,535 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 35.4% on the previous year and down 65.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Sierra Leone peaked at 3.33 million hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 731,535 hectares, in 2026.
Sierra Leone ranks 38th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2.69 million hectares | — |
| 2013 | 2.35 million hectares | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 3.13 million hectares | +33.1% |
| 2015 | 3.33 million hectares | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 2.12 million hectares | -36.4% |
| 2017 | 2.07 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 1.50 million hectares | -27.3% |
| 2019 | 2.12 million hectares | +40.9% |
| 2020 | 1.97 million hectares | -7.2% |
| 2021 | 1.35 million hectares | -31.5% |
| 2022 | 2.12 million hectares | +57.2% |
| 2023 | 2.01 million hectares | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 1.45 million hectares | -27.6% |
| 2025 | 1.13 million hectares | -22.1% |
| 2026 | 731,535 hectares | -35.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 731,535 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 198,497 hectares, 3.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 731,535 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 506,694 hectares, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.42 million hectares | 1.50 million hectares | 3.33 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.54 million hectares | 731,535 hectares | 2.12 million hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0238 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6534 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Sierra Leone?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Sierra Leone was 731,535 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 3.33 million hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 731,535 hectares in 2026.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Sierra Leone ranks 38th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.