Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mauritania
Mauritania: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 276,201 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mauritania, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 276,201 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2025.
That represents a change of up 35.3% on the previous year and up 550.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mauritania peaked at 848,717 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 22,367 hectares, in 2018.
Mauritania ranks 38th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 Mauritania, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 92,754 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 32,843 hectares | -64.6% |
| 2004 | 264,524 hectares | +705.4% |
| 2005 | 292,666 hectares | +10.6% |
| 2006 | 330,360 hectares | +12.9% |
| 2007 | 848,717 hectares | +156.9% |
| 2008 | 374,150 hectares | -55.9% |
| 2009 | 369,964 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 645,264 hectares | +74.4% |
| 2011 | 291,979 hectares | -54.8% |
| 2012 | 283,714 hectares | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 267,250 hectares | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 36,127 hectares | -86.5% |
| 2015 | 42,460 hectares | +17.5% |
| 2016 | 160,736 hectares | +278.6% |
| 2017 | 81,570 hectares | -49.3% |
| 2018 | 22,367 hectares | -72.6% |
| 2019 | 156,529 hectares | +599.8% |
| 2020 | 157,710 hectares | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 271,479 hectares | +72.1% |
| 2022 | 156,357 hectares | -42.4% |
| 2023 | 268,409 hectares | +71.7% |
| 2024 | 204,162 hectares | -23.9% |
| 2025 | 276,201 hectares | +35.3% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 276,201 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 5.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 276,201 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 51% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mauritania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +705.4% | 32,843 hectares | 264,524 hectares |
| 2019 | +599.8% | 22,367 hectares | 156,529 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 325,747 hectares | 32,843 hectares | 848,717 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 198,800 hectares | 22,367 hectares | 645,264 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 222,386 hectares | 156,357 hectares | 276,201 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More reference data data for Mauritania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0975 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0216 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.327 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1178 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mauritania?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mauritania was 276,201 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 848,717 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 22,367 hectares in 2018.
- How does Mauritania rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Mauritania ranks 38th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 550.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.