Annual number of wildfires in Kenya

Kenya: Annual number of wildfires was 242 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
242 wildfires
Change on year
down 65.0%
World rank
74th
of 248 countries
All-time high
1,718 wildfires
in 2012
All-time low
242 wildfires
in 2026
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Annual number of wildfires in Kenya, 2012–2026

05001.0k1.5k2012201920262012: 1.7k wildfires2013: 1.1k wildfires2014: 870 wildfires2015: 1.3k wildfires2016: 884 wildfires2017: 659 wildfires2018: 541 wildfires2019: 1.1k wildfires2020: 1.1k wildfires2021: 1.1k wildfires2022: 509 wildfires2023: 480 wildfires2024: 624 wildfires2025: 691 wildfires2026: 242 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 Kenya is 242 wildfires, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is down 65.0% on the previous year and down 72.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Kenya peaked at 1,718 wildfires in 2012 and was at its lowest, 242 wildfires, in 2026.

Kenya ranks 74th of 248 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 1,012 wildfires 541 wildfires 1,718 wildfires 8
2020s 687.86 wildfires 242 wildfires 1,147 wildfires 7

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 71 Portugal 259 wildfires compare
  2. 72 Costa Rica 258 wildfires compare
  3. 73 Panama 252 wildfires compare
  4. 75 Gambia 241 wildfires compare
  5. 76 Niger 231 wildfires compare
  6. 77 Malaysia 171 wildfires compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual number of wildfires in Kenya?
Annual number of wildfires in Kenya was 242 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 1,718 wildfires in 2012.
What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 242 wildfires in 2026.
How does Kenya rank for annual number of wildfires?
Kenya ranks 74th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 72.6%. 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 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.