Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Bhutan
Bhutan: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 128.79 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Bhutan, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 128.79 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 90.3% on the previous year and down 89.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Bhutan peaked at 2,039 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 128.79 hectares, in 2025.
That places Bhutan 135th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 665.44 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 601.04 hectares | -9.7% |
| 2004 | 193.19 hectares | -67.9% |
| 2005 | 858.63 hectares | +344.4% |
| 2006 | 858.63 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 923.03 hectares | +7.5% |
| 2008 | 407.85 hectares | -55.8% |
| 2009 | 257.59 hectares | -36.8% |
| 2010 | 2,039 hectares | +691.7% |
| 2011 | 1,266 hectares | -37.9% |
| 2012 | 1,975 hectares | +55.9% |
| 2013 | 300.52 hectares | -84.8% |
| 2014 | 1,202 hectares | +300.0% |
| 2015 | 1,266 hectares | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 214.66 hectares | -83.1% |
| 2017 | 1,116 hectares | +420.0% |
| 2018 | 515.18 hectares | -53.8% |
| 2019 | 558.11 hectares | +8.3% |
| 2020 | 150.26 hectares | -73.1% |
| 2021 | 622.51 hectares | +314.3% |
| 2022 | 279.06 hectares | -55.2% |
| 2023 | 386.39 hectares | +38.5% |
| 2024 | 1,331 hectares | +244.4% |
| 2025 | 128.79 hectares | -90.3% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 128.79 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 0% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 128.79 hectares is below the median for South Asia, which is 4,465 hectares, 3% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +691.7% | 257.59 hectares | 2,039 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 595.68 hectares | 193.19 hectares | 923.03 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 1,045 hectares | 214.66 hectares | 2,039 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 482.98 hectares | 128.79 hectares | 1,331 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 133 El Salvador 150.26 hectares compare
- 134 Jamaica 150.26 hectares compare
- 136 Moldova 85.86 hectares compare
- 137 Ireland 85.86 hectares compare
- 138 New Zealand 64.4 hectares compare
More reference data data for Bhutan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0217 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0671 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0727 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0153 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3489 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5881 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Bhutan?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Bhutan was 128.79 hectares in 2025, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 2,039 hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 128.79 hectares in 2025.
- How does Bhutan rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Bhutan ranks 135th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 89.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Area burned by wildfires by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.