Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Botswana

Botswana: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 19,706 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
19,706 hectares
Change on year
down 21.3%
World rank
8th
of 225 countries
All-time high
68,047 hectares
in 2019
All-time low
279.06 hectares
in 2009
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Botswana, 2002–2024

020.0k40.0k60.0k2002201320242002: 12.8k hectares2003: 30.1k hectares2004: 322 hectares2005: 6.1k hectares2006: 300.5 hectares2007: 13.0k hectares2008: 2.0k hectares2009: 279.1 hectares2010: 322 hectares2011: 386.4 hectares2012: 5.2k hectares2013: 14.6k hectares2014: 515.2 hectares2015: 57.0k hectares2016: 12.7k hectares2017: 39.9k hectares2018: 26.3k hectares2019: 68.0k hectares2020: 751.3 hectares2021: 16.7k hectares2022: 5.9k hectares2023: 25.1k hectares2024: 19.7k hectares

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for wildfire area burned by land cover type in Botswana is 19,706 hectares, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.3% on the previous year and up 3,725.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Botswana peaked at 68,047 hectares in 2019 and was at its lowest, 279.06 hectares, in 2009.

Botswana ranks 8th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8,125 hectares 279.06 hectares 30,138 hectares 8
2010s 22,498 hectares 321.99 hectares 68,047 hectares 10
2020s 13,635 hectares 751.3 hectares 25,051 hectares 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 5 Democratic Republic of Congo 47,912 hectares compare
  2. 6 Congo 44,950 hectares compare
  3. 7 South Sudan 36,299 hectares compare
  4. 9 Russia 17,645 hectares compare
  5. 10 Australia 17,001 hectares compare
  6. 11 Angola 15,885 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is wildfire area burned by land cover type in Botswana?
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Botswana was 19,706 hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 68,047 hectares in 2019.
What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 279.06 hectares in 2009.
How does Botswana rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
Botswana ranks 8th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 3,725.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Wildfire area burned by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Wildfire area burned by land cover type
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
225 places, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.