Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Namibia

Namibia: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 1.05 million hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.05 million hectares
Change on year
down 56.1%
World rank
25th
of 225 countries
All-time high
8.73 million hectares
in 2012
All-time low
908,736 hectares
in 2019
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Namibia, 2002–2024

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M2002201320242002: 3.1M hectares2003: 3.1M hectares2004: 3.7M hectares2005: 3.5M hectares2006: 5.2M hectares2007: 4.5M hectares2008: 2.8M hectares2009: 5.4M hectares2010: 4.7M hectares2011: 8.3M hectares2012: 8.7M hectares2013: 3.7M hectares2014: 2.6M hectares2015: 2.5M hectares2016: 2.1M hectares2017: 2.7M hectares2018: 2.0M hectares2019: 908.7k hectares2020: 3.2M hectares2021: 3.9M hectares2022: 2.5M hectares2023: 2.4M hectares2024: 1.0M hectares

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

In 2024, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Namibia stood at 1.05 million hectares.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 56.1% on the previous year and down 59.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Namibia peaked at 8.73 million hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 908,736 hectares, in 2019.

That places Namibia 25th out of 225 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.90 million hectares 2.82 million hectares 5.35 million hectares 8
2010s 3.82 million hectares 908,736 hectares 8.73 million hectares 10
2020s 2.61 million hectares 1.05 million hectares 3.92 million hectares 5

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 22 Democratic Republic of Congo 1.81 million hectares compare
  2. 23 Central African Republic 1.46 million hectares compare
  3. 24 Bolivia 1.17 million hectares compare
  4. 26 Ethiopia 1.03 million hectares compare
  5. 27 Argentina 966,372 hectares compare
  6. 28 Zimbabwe 872,330 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Namibia?
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Namibia was 1.05 million 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 Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 8.73 million hectares in 2012.
What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 908,736 hectares in 2019.
How does Namibia rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
Namibia ranks 25th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is down 59.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Namibia 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

Indicator
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
225 places, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.