Annual number of wildfires in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Annual number of wildfires was 2,823 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of wildfires in Sierra Leone, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 2,823 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 24.6% on the previous year and down 57.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Sierra Leone peaked at 9,351 wildfires in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2,823 wildfires, in 2026.
Sierra Leone ranks 35th 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 7,586 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 7,474 wildfires | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 9,351 wildfires | +25.1% |
| 2015 | 9,342 wildfires | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 6,681 wildfires | -28.5% |
| 2017 | 6,551 wildfires | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 5,184 wildfires | -20.9% |
| 2019 | 6,970 wildfires | +34.5% |
| 2020 | 6,797 wildfires | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 5,044 wildfires | -25.8% |
| 2022 | 7,377 wildfires | +46.3% |
| 2023 | 6,736 wildfires | -8.7% |
| 2024 | 4,862 wildfires | -27.8% |
| 2025 | 3,745 wildfires | -23.0% |
| 2026 | 2,823 wildfires | -24.6% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 2,823 wildfires is above the median for low income countries, which is 754 wildfires, 3.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 2,823 wildfires is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,344 wildfires, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7,392 wildfires | 5,184 wildfires | 9,351 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 5,341 wildfires | 2,823 wildfires | 7,377 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0238 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6534 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of wildfires in Sierra Leone?
- Annual number of wildfires in Sierra Leone was 2,823 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 9,351 wildfires in 2014.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,823 wildfires in 2026.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for annual number of wildfires?
- Sierra Leone ranks 35th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.