Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Eswatini
Eswatini: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 37,522 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Eswatini, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded 37,522 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 56.1% on the previous year and up 39.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Eswatini peaked at 85,520 hectares in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19,727 hectares, in 2016.
Eswatini ranks 64th of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 55,897 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 53,836 hectares | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 41,107 hectares | -23.6% |
| 2005 | 60,126 hectares | +46.3% |
| 2006 | 23,376 hectares | -61.1% |
| 2007 | 83,674 hectares | +257.9% |
| 2008 | 69,485 hectares | -17.0% |
| 2009 | 31,297 hectares | -55.0% |
| 2010 | 69,828 hectares | +123.1% |
| 2011 | 44,992 hectares | -35.6% |
| 2012 | 49,908 hectares | +10.9% |
| 2013 | 51,024 hectares | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 55,360 hectares | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 26,854 hectares | -51.5% |
| 2016 | 19,727 hectares | -26.5% |
| 2017 | 24,943 hectares | +26.4% |
| 2018 | 23,097 hectares | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 74,680 hectares | +223.3% |
| 2020 | 27,240 hectares | -63.5% |
| 2021 | 41,536 hectares | +52.5% |
| 2022 | 22,775 hectares | -45.2% |
| 2023 | 32,521 hectares | +42.8% |
| 2024 | 85,520 hectares | +163.0% |
| 2025 | 37,522 hectares | -56.1% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 37,522 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 76% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 37,522 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 7% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 52,350 hectares | 23,376 hectares | 83,674 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 44,042 hectares | 19,727 hectares | 74,680 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,186 hectares | 22,775 hectares | 85,520 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More reference data data for Eswatini
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0203 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3059 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3309 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0048 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3309 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0679 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0557 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.026 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Eswatini?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Eswatini was 37,522 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 Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 85,520 hectares in 2024.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,727 hectares in 2016.
- How does Eswatini rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Eswatini ranks 64th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini 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.