Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia
Malaysia: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 128.79 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia stood at 128.79 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 81.3% on the previous year and down 77.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia peaked at 1,610 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 42.93 hectares, in 2017.
That places Malaysia 71st out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 751.31 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 1,224 hectares | +62.9% |
| 2004 | 1,309 hectares | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 837.17 hectares | -36.1% |
| 2006 | 257.59 hectares | -69.2% |
| 2007 | 364.92 hectares | +41.7% |
| 2008 | 279.06 hectares | -23.5% |
| 2009 | 1,395 hectares | +400.0% |
| 2010 | 1,610 hectares | +15.4% |
| 2011 | 343.45 hectares | -78.7% |
| 2012 | 214.66 hectares | -37.5% |
| 2013 | 515.18 hectares | +140.0% |
| 2014 | 923.04 hectares | +79.2% |
| 2015 | 579.58 hectares | -37.2% |
| 2016 | 987.43 hectares | +70.4% |
| 2017 | 42.93 hectares | -95.7% |
| 2018 | 450.79 hectares | +950.0% |
| 2019 | 1,288 hectares | +185.7% |
| 2020 | 321.99 hectares | -75.0% |
| 2021 | 794.24 hectares | +146.7% |
| 2022 | 171.73 hectares | -78.4% |
| 2023 | 257.59 hectares | +50.0% |
| 2024 | 686.91 hectares | +166.7% |
| 2025 | 128.79 hectares | -81.3% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 128.79 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.47 hectares, 6.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +950.0% | 42.93 hectares | 450.79 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 802.29 hectares | 257.59 hectares | 1,395 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 695.5 hectares | 42.93 hectares | 1,610 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 393.54 hectares | 128.79 hectares | 794.24 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia?
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Malaysia was 128.79 hectares in 2025, 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 1,610 hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.93 hectares in 2017.
- How does Malaysia rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
- Malaysia ranks 71st out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 77.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.