Annual number of wildfires in Ghana
Ghana: Annual number of wildfires was 4,236 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of wildfires in Ghana, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
In 2026, annual number of wildfires in Ghana stood at 4,236 wildfires. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 26.0% on the previous year and down 66.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Ghana peaked at 15,994 wildfires in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4,236 wildfires, in 2026.
Ghana ranks 28th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual number of wildfires in Ghana, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 9,002 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 14,792 wildfires | +64.3% |
| 2014 | 13,390 wildfires | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 14,942 wildfires | +11.6% |
| 2016 | 12,695 wildfires | -15.0% |
| 2017 | 15,211 wildfires | +19.8% |
| 2018 | 8,304 wildfires | -45.4% |
| 2019 | 12,260 wildfires | +47.6% |
| 2020 | 15,994 wildfires | +30.5% |
| 2021 | 11,196 wildfires | -30.0% |
| 2022 | 12,719 wildfires | +13.6% |
| 2023 | 9,388 wildfires | -26.2% |
| 2024 | 9,316 wildfires | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 5,724 wildfires | -38.6% |
| 2026 | 4,236 wildfires | -26.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 4,236 wildfires is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 625 wildfires, 6.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 4,236 wildfires is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,344 wildfires, 3.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12,574 wildfires | 8,304 wildfires | 15,211 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 9,796 wildfires | 4,236 wildfires | 15,994 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More reference data data for Ghana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2805 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1989 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of wildfires in Ghana?
- Annual number of wildfires in Ghana was 4,236 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 15,994 wildfires in 2020.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,236 wildfires in 2026.
- How does Ghana rank for annual number of wildfires?
- Ghana ranks 28th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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
Number of wildfires. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.