Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Botswana
Botswana: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 2.59 million hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Botswana, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Botswana is 2.59 million hectares, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 19.6% on the previous year and up 44.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Botswana peaked at 16.52 million hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.09 million hectares, in 2019.
Botswana ranks 13th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 Botswana, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 8.13 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 1.36 million hectares | -83.3% |
| 2004 | 1.79 million hectares | +31.3% |
| 2005 | 2.79 million hectares | +56.0% |
| 2006 | 5.17 million hectares | +85.5% |
| 2007 | 2.83 million hectares | -45.3% |
| 2008 | 10.98 million hectares | +288.4% |
| 2009 | 2.16 million hectares | -80.3% |
| 2010 | 13.38 million hectares | +518.6% |
| 2011 | 16.52 million hectares | +23.4% |
| 2012 | 4.96 million hectares | -70.0% |
| 2013 | 4.02 million hectares | -18.9% |
| 2014 | 2.86 million hectares | -29.0% |
| 2015 | 1.79 million hectares | -37.5% |
| 2016 | 1.45 million hectares | -19.1% |
| 2017 | 4.77 million hectares | +229.8% |
| 2018 | 2.72 million hectares | -43.0% |
| 2019 | 1.09 million hectares | -59.8% |
| 2020 | 3.21 million hectares | +194.6% |
| 2021 | 10.56 million hectares | +228.7% |
| 2022 | 7.52 million hectares | -28.8% |
| 2023 | 10.60 million hectares | +40.9% |
| 2024 | 2.16 million hectares | -79.6% |
| 2025 | 2.59 million hectares | +19.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 2.59 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10,669 hectares, 242.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 2.59 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 4.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Botswana 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 | +518.6% | 2.16 million hectares | 13.38 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.40 million hectares | 1.36 million hectares | 10.98 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 5.35 million hectares | 1.09 million hectares | 16.52 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.11 million hectares | 2.16 million hectares | 10.60 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0825 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0424 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Botswana?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Botswana was 2.59 million 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 Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 16.52 million hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.09 million hectares in 2019.
- How does Botswana rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Botswana ranks 13th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana 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.