Average area burnt per wildfire in Kenya

Kenya: Average area burnt per wildfire was 261.48 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
261.48 hectares
Change on year
down 32.7%
World rank
88th
of 181 countries
All-time high
436.2 hectares
in 2012
All-time low
231.5 hectares
in 2018
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Average area burnt per wildfire in Kenya, 2012–2026

01002003004002012201920262012: 436.2 hectares2013: 364.9 hectares2014: 292.5 hectares2015: 278.5 hectares2016: 275.7 hectares2017: 245.2 hectares2018: 231.5 hectares2019: 317.3 hectares2020: 375.8 hectares2021: 332.9 hectares2022: 259 hectares2023: 273.2 hectares2024: 334.9 hectares2025: 388.7 hectares2026: 261.5 hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2026, average area burnt per wildfire in Kenya stood at 261.48 hectares.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 32.7% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average area burnt per wildfire in Kenya peaked at 436.2 hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 231.5 hectares, in 2018.

Kenya ranks 88th of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 305.22 hectares 231.5 hectares 436.2 hectares 8
2020s 318 hectares 259.02 hectares 388.69 hectares 7

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 85 Jordan 266 hectares compare
  2. 85 Northern Mariana Islands 266 hectares compare
  3. 87 Rwanda 262.59 hectares compare
  4. 89 Sierra Leone 259.13 hectares compare
  5. 90 Saint Kitts and Nevis 256.5 hectares compare
  6. 91 Mozambique 256.04 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 181 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is average area burnt per wildfire in Kenya?
Average area burnt per wildfire in Kenya was 261.48 hectares in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average area burnt per wildfire recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 436.2 hectares in 2012.
What is the lowest average area burnt per wildfire recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 231.5 hectares in 2018.
How does Kenya rank for average area burnt per wildfire?
Kenya ranks 88th out of 181 countries with data for 2026.
Is average area burnt per wildfire rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average area burnt per wildfire. 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

Indicator
Average area burnt per wildfire
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
181 places, 2,589 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed

The average area burnt per wildfire, in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.