Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Lesotho
Lesotho: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 30,310 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Lesotho, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 30,310 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2025.
The figure is down 28.9% on the previous year and down 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Lesotho peaked at 130,813 hectares in 2003 and was at its lowest, 7,084 hectares, in 2018.
Lesotho ranks 66th of 225 countries on this measure, 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 Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 44,950 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 130,813 hectares | +191.0% |
| 2004 | 36,986 hectares | -71.7% |
| 2005 | 60,126 hectares | +62.6% |
| 2006 | 46,216 hectares | -23.1% |
| 2007 | 123,665 hectares | +167.6% |
| 2008 | 21,616 hectares | -82.5% |
| 2009 | 56,305 hectares | +160.5% |
| 2010 | 44,885 hectares | -20.3% |
| 2011 | 102,457 hectares | +128.3% |
| 2012 | 55,167 hectares | -46.2% |
| 2013 | 42,159 hectares | -23.6% |
| 2014 | 34,345 hectares | -18.5% |
| 2015 | 44,177 hectares | +28.6% |
| 2016 | 69,056 hectares | +56.3% |
| 2017 | 20,543 hectares | -70.3% |
| 2018 | 7,084 hectares | -65.5% |
| 2019 | 27,369 hectares | +286.4% |
| 2020 | 7,384 hectares | -73.0% |
| 2021 | 41,665 hectares | +464.2% |
| 2022 | 25,716 hectares | -38.3% |
| 2023 | 35,118 hectares | +36.6% |
| 2024 | 42,610 hectares | +21.3% |
| 2025 | 30,310 hectares | -28.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 30,310 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 61% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 30,310 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 6% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +464.2% | 7,384 hectares | 41,665 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 65,085 hectares | 21,616 hectares | 130,813 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 44,724 hectares | 7,084 hectares | 102,457 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 30,467 hectares | 7,384 hectares | 42,610 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0331 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5388 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0101 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1115 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0549 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Lesotho?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Lesotho was 30,310 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 130,813 hectares in 2003.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,084 hectares in 2018.
- How does Lesotho rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Lesotho ranks 66th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.