Annual area burnt by wildfires in Zambia
Zambia: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 10.14 million in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Zambia, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires in Zambia is 10.14 million, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 29.5% on the previous year and down 56.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Zambia peaked at 23.74 million in 2015 and was at its lowest, 10.14 million, in 2026.
That places Zambia 4th 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 23.41 million | — |
| 2013 | 23.45 million | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 21.11 million | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 23.74 million | +12.4% |
| 2016 | 23.27 million | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 21.29 million | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 20.55 million | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 21.79 million | +6.0% |
| 2020 | 19.42 million | -10.9% |
| 2021 | 18.25 million | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 20.36 million | +11.6% |
| 2023 | 19.00 million | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 16.17 million | -14.9% |
| 2025 | 14.38 million | -11.1% |
| 2026 | 10.14 million | -29.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 10.14 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 156,215, 64.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 10.14 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 535,614, 18.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 22.33 million | 20.55 million | 23.74 million | 8 |
| 2020s | 16.82 million | 10.14 million | 20.36 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0941 (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 (2026)
- Country level monthly temperature anomalies 0.3261 (2026)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Urban area long term, annual growth rate 3.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban area long term, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban area long term, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Zambia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Zambia was 10.14 million in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.74 million in 2015.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.14 million in 2026.
- How does Zambia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Zambia ranks 4th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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).