Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mongolia
Mongolia: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 143,993 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mongolia, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mongolia stood at 143,993 hectares.
The figure is down 44.7% on the previous year and down 92.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mongolia peaked at 2.05 million hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 23,269 hectares, in 2018.
Mongolia ranks 46th 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 Mongolia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 939,175 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 1.77 million hectares | +88.3% |
| 2004 | 1.40 million hectares | -20.7% |
| 2005 | 999,322 hectares | -28.7% |
| 2006 | 1.22 million hectares | +22.1% |
| 2007 | 1.67 million hectares | +36.9% |
| 2008 | 723,013 hectares | -56.7% |
| 2009 | 278,799 hectares | -61.4% |
| 2010 | 254,413 hectares | -8.7% |
| 2011 | 1.78 million hectares | +601.2% |
| 2012 | 2.05 million hectares | +15.2% |
| 2013 | 945,893 hectares | -54.0% |
| 2014 | 1.23 million hectares | +29.9% |
| 2015 | 1.84 million hectares | +49.5% |
| 2016 | 1.12 million hectares | -39.2% |
| 2017 | 446,876 hectares | -60.0% |
| 2018 | 23,269 hectares | -94.8% |
| 2019 | 318,038 hectares | +1266.8% |
| 2020 | 61,478 hectares | -80.7% |
| 2021 | 105,784 hectares | +72.1% |
| 2022 | 418,885 hectares | +296.0% |
| 2023 | 1.94 million hectares | +362.6% |
| 2024 | 260,510 hectares | -86.6% |
| 2025 | 143,993 hectares | -44.7% |
Mongolia compared with similar countries
- Mongolia's 143,993 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10,669 hectares, 13.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Mongolia's 143,993 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.93 hectares, 3354.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mongolia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +1266.8% | 23,269 hectares | 318,038 hectares |
| 2011 | +601.2% | 254,413 hectares | 1.78 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.12 million hectares | 278,799 hectares | 1.77 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.00 million hectares | 23,269 hectares | 2.05 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 488,052 hectares | 61,478 hectares | 1.94 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mongolia
More reference data data for Mongolia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8173 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0069 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 18.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0378 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mongolia?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mongolia was 143,993 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 Mongolia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.05 million hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Mongolia?
- The lowest recorded value was 23,269 hectares in 2018.
- How does Mongolia rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Mongolia ranks 46th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Mongolia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 92.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mongolia 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.