Annual number of wildfires in Nigeria
Nigeria: Annual number of wildfires was 8,303 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of wildfires in Nigeria, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 8,303 wildfires for annual number of wildfires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 39.6% on the previous year and down 62.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Nigeria peaked at 22,365 wildfires in 2022 and was at its lowest, 8,303 wildfires, in 2026.
That places Nigeria 15th 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.
Annual number of wildfires in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 12,499 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 17,105 wildfires | +36.9% |
| 2014 | 17,731 wildfires | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 20,332 wildfires | +14.7% |
| 2016 | 21,994 wildfires | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 21,114 wildfires | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 15,958 wildfires | -24.4% |
| 2019 | 18,071 wildfires | +13.2% |
| 2020 | 21,223 wildfires | +17.4% |
| 2021 | 22,007 wildfires | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 22,365 wildfires | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 17,975 wildfires | -19.6% |
| 2024 | 16,071 wildfires | -10.6% |
| 2025 | 13,755 wildfires | -14.4% |
| 2026 | 8,303 wildfires | -39.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 8,303 wildfires is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 625 wildfires, 13.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 8,303 wildfires is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,344 wildfires, 6.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18,100 wildfires | 12,499 wildfires | 21,994 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 17,386 wildfires | 8,303 wildfires | 22,365 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of wildfires in Nigeria?
- Annual number of wildfires in Nigeria was 8,303 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 22,365 wildfires in 2022.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,303 wildfires in 2026.
- How does Nigeria rank for annual number of wildfires?
- Nigeria ranks 15th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.
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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.