Annual area burnt by wildfires in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 627,997 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Zimbabwe, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 627,997 hectares for annual area burnt by wildfires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 38.5% on the previous year and down 71.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Zimbabwe peaked at 3.27 million hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 627,997 hectares, in 2026.
Zimbabwe ranks 41st 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3.27 million hectares | — |
| 2013 | 2.56 million hectares | -21.6% |
| 2014 | 2.86 million hectares | +11.6% |
| 2015 | 3.20 million hectares | +11.7% |
| 2016 | 2.18 million hectares | -31.8% |
| 2017 | 2.45 million hectares | +12.2% |
| 2018 | 2.71 million hectares | +10.9% |
| 2019 | 2.76 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 1.22 million hectares | -55.7% |
| 2021 | 2.11 million hectares | +73.0% |
| 2022 | 3.02 million hectares | +42.8% |
| 2023 | 2.39 million hectares | -21.0% |
| 2024 | 1.14 million hectares | -52.0% |
| 2025 | 1.02 million hectares | -10.8% |
| 2026 | 627,997 hectares | -38.5% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 627,997 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 156,215 hectares, 4.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 627,997 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 506,694 hectares, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.75 million hectares | 2.18 million hectares | 3.27 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.65 million hectares | 627,997 hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 38 Sierra Leone 731,535 hectares compare
- 39 Namibia 712,464 hectares compare
- 40 Uganda 639,207 hectares compare
- 42 Kazakhstan 623,531 hectares compare
- 43 Paraguay 603,445 hectares compare
- 44 Burkina Faso 554,128 hectares compare
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Zimbabwe?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Zimbabwe was 627,997 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 3.27 million hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 627,997 hectares in 2026.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Zimbabwe ranks 41st out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.