Annual number of wildfires in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Annual number of wildfires was 4,865 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
4,865 wildfires
Change on year
down 42.4%
World rank
19th
of 248 countries
All-time high
17,391 wildfires
in 2015
All-time low
4,865 wildfires
in 2026
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual number of wildfires in Ethiopia, 2012–2026

5.0k10.0k15.0k2012201920262012: 14.0k wildfires2013: 16.6k wildfires2014: 14.5k wildfires2015: 17.4k wildfires2016: 16.7k wildfires2017: 14.3k wildfires2018: 9.2k wildfires2019: 12.7k wildfires2020: 15.1k wildfires2021: 16.2k wildfires2022: 12.2k wildfires2023: 11.1k wildfires2024: 8.5k wildfires2025: 8.4k wildfires2026: 4.9k wildfires

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual number of wildfires in Ethiopia is 4,865 wildfires, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 42.4% on the previous year and down 70.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Ethiopia peaked at 17,391 wildfires in 2015 and was at its lowest, 4,865 wildfires, in 2026.

That places Ethiopia 19th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 14,431 wildfires 9,232 wildfires 17,391 wildfires 8
2020s 10,916 wildfires 4,865 wildfires 16,181 wildfires 7

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 16 Brazil 6,465 wildfires compare
  2. 17 United States 5,936 wildfires compare
  3. 18 Cambodia 5,221 wildfires compare
  4. 20 Mozambique 4,564 wildfires compare
  5. 21 Mali 4,506 wildfires compare
  6. 22 Cameroon 4,348 wildfires compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual number of wildfires in Ethiopia?
Annual number of wildfires in Ethiopia was 4,865 wildfires in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual number of wildfires recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 17,391 wildfires in 2015.
What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 4,865 wildfires in 2026.
How does Ethiopia rank for annual number of wildfires?
Ethiopia ranks 19th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 70.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia 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 number of wildfires. 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
Annual number of wildfires
Unit
wildfires
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
248 places, 3,720 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed

Number of wildfires. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.