Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Cameroon
Cameroon: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 482,746 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Cameroon, 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 Cameroon is 482,746 hectares, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.5% on the previous year and up 77.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Cameroon peaked at 491,311 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 254,328 hectares, in 2019.
That places Cameroon 32nd out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 294,233 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 336,027 hectares | +14.2% |
| 2004 | 390,829 hectares | +16.3% |
| 2005 | 438,956 hectares | +12.3% |
| 2006 | 452,093 hectares | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 491,311 hectares | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 384,067 hectares | -21.8% |
| 2009 | 396,131 hectares | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 387,674 hectares | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 297,903 hectares | -23.2% |
| 2012 | 302,583 hectares | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 407,186 hectares | +34.6% |
| 2014 | 309,237 hectares | -24.1% |
| 2015 | 272,402 hectares | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 438,977 hectares | +61.2% |
| 2017 | 320,314 hectares | -27.0% |
| 2018 | 334,181 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 254,328 hectares | -23.9% |
| 2020 | 488,713 hectares | +92.2% |
| 2021 | 468,471 hectares | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 412,789 hectares | -11.9% |
| 2023 | 332,571 hectares | -19.4% |
| 2024 | 394,156 hectares | +18.5% |
| 2025 | 482,746 hectares | +22.5% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 482,746 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 9.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 482,746 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 89% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 397,956 hectares | 294,233 hectares | 491,311 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 332,478 hectares | 254,328 hectares | 438,977 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 429,908 hectares | 332,571 hectares | 488,713 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More reference data data for Cameroon
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4076 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Cameroon?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Cameroon was 482,746 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 491,311 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 254,328 hectares in 2019.
- How does Cameroon rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Cameroon ranks 32nd out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 77.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon 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.