Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Malawi
Malawi: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre was 0.6603 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Malawi, 2002–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 0.6603 hectares per square kilometre for area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 35.0% on the previous year and down 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Malawi peaked at 1.63 hectares per square kilometre in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.6603 hectares per square kilometre, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 40th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Malawi, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1.01 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 2003 | 1.12 hectares per square kilometre | +11.0% |
| 2004 | 0.8932 hectares per square kilometre | -20.0% |
| 2005 | 1.17 hectares per square kilometre | +31.2% |
| 2006 | 1.11 hectares per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 1.07 hectares per square kilometre | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 1.14 hectares per square kilometre | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 0.8773 hectares per square kilometre | -23.1% |
| 2010 | 1.24 hectares per square kilometre | +41.8% |
| 2011 | 1.4 hectares per square kilometre | +12.8% |
| 2012 | 1.15 hectares per square kilometre | -18.2% |
| 2013 | 0.9888 hectares per square kilometre | -13.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7595 hectares per square kilometre | -23.2% |
| 2015 | 1.02 hectares per square kilometre | +33.8% |
| 2016 | 1.06 hectares per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 0.8424 hectares per square kilometre | -20.6% |
| 2018 | 1.63 hectares per square kilometre | +92.9% |
| 2019 | 0.9918 hectares per square kilometre | -39.0% |
| 2020 | 0.9708 hectares per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 0.8966 hectares per square kilometre | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 1.02 hectares per square kilometre | +13.4% |
| 2023 | 0.6603 hectares per square kilometre | -35.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.05 hectares per square kilometre | 0.8773 hectares per square kilometre | 1.17 hectares per square kilometre | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.11 hectares per square kilometre | 0.7595 hectares per square kilometre | 1.63 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.886 hectares per square kilometre | 0.6603 hectares per square kilometre | 1.02 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 37 Nicaragua 0.8434 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 38 Cameroon 0.7035 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 39 Guinea-Bissau 0.6939 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 41 Greece 0.5827 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 42 Cote d'Ivoire 0.5771 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 43 Laos 0.568 hectares per square kilometre compare
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 area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Malawi?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Malawi was 0.6603 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.63 hectares per square kilometre in 2018.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6603 hectares per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre?
- Malawi ranks 40th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.