Annual number of wildfires in Malawi
Malawi: Annual number of wildfires was 684 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of wildfires in Malawi, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 684 wildfires for annual number of wildfires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 58.9% on the previous year and down 83.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Malawi peaked at 4,811 wildfires in 2012 and was at its lowest, 684 wildfires, in 2026.
Malawi ranks 60th 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4,811 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 4,688 wildfires | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 3,923 wildfires | -16.3% |
| 2015 | 4,027 wildfires | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 4,195 wildfires | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 3,396 wildfires | -19.0% |
| 2018 | 4,401 wildfires | +29.6% |
| 2019 | 3,654 wildfires | -17.0% |
| 2020 | 3,630 wildfires | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 3,453 wildfires | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 2,796 wildfires | -19.0% |
| 2023 | 2,575 wildfires | -7.9% |
| 2024 | 2,072 wildfires | -19.5% |
| 2025 | 1,666 wildfires | -19.6% |
| 2026 | 684 wildfires | -58.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 684 wildfires is below the median for low income countries, which is 754 wildfires, 91% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 684 wildfires is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,344 wildfires, 51% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4,137 wildfires | 3,396 wildfires | 4,811 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 2,411 wildfires | 684 wildfires | 3,630 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of wildfires in Malawi?
- Annual number of wildfires in Malawi was 684 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4,811 wildfires in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 684 wildfires in 2026.
- How does Malawi rank for annual number of wildfires?
- Malawi ranks 60th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 83.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.