Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal
Nepal: Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires was 766 wildfires in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal is 766 wildfires, measured in 2026.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.6% on the previous year and down 86.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal peaked at 5,834 wildfires in 2021 and was at its lowest, 659 wildfires, in 2015.
That places Nepal 56th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2,522 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 1,849 wildfires | -26.7% |
| 2014 | 3,167 wildfires | +71.3% |
| 2015 | 659 wildfires | -79.2% |
| 2016 | 5,528 wildfires | +738.8% |
| 2017 | 1,280 wildfires | -76.8% |
| 2018 | 1,798 wildfires | +40.5% |
| 2019 | 2,365 wildfires | +31.5% |
| 2020 | 797 wildfires | -66.3% |
| 2021 | 5,834 wildfires | +632.0% |
| 2022 | 1,641 wildfires | -71.9% |
| 2023 | 2,990 wildfires | +82.2% |
| 2024 | 2,632 wildfires | -12.0% |
| 2025 | 876 wildfires | -66.7% |
| 2026 | 766 wildfires | -12.6% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 766 wildfires is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 625 wildfires, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 766 wildfires is above the median for South Asia, which is 263.5 wildfires, 2.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +738.8% | 659 wildfires | 5,528 wildfires |
| 2021 | +632.0% | 797 wildfires | 5,834 wildfires |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2,396 wildfires | 659 wildfires | 5,528 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 2,219 wildfires | 766 wildfires | 5,834 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More reference data data for Nepal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7753 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7853 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7974 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.28 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal?
- Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Nepal was 766 wildfires in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 5,834 wildfires in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 659 wildfires in 2015.
- How does Nepal rank for annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires?
- Nepal ranks 56th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 86.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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 per wildfire vs. number of fires. 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).
About this data
Number of wildfires. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.