Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Malawi
Malawi: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 80,669 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Malawi, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 80,669 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2024.
That represents a change of up 29.6% on the previous year and up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Malawi peaked at 153,245 hectares in 2018 and was at its lowest, 62,251 hectares, in 2023.
Malawi ranks 56th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 98,821 hectares | 82,708 hectares | 110,506 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 104,472 hectares | 71,610 hectares | 153,245 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 82,961 hectares | 62,251 hectares | 95,824 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More reference data data for Malawi
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0372 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.606 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3659 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.9529 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.5269 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 1,313 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Malawi?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Malawi was 80,669 hectares in 2024, 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 153,245 hectares in 2018.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 62,251 hectares in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Malawi ranks 56th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.
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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.