Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nepal
Nepal: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 7,685 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nepal, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nepal is 7,685 hectares, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 39.4% on the previous year and up 342.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nepal peaked at 16,207 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1,224 hectares, in 2002.
Nepal ranks 95th 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1,224 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 3,885 hectares | +217.5% |
| 2004 | 11,291 hectares | +190.6% |
| 2005 | 5,238 hectares | -53.6% |
| 2006 | 6,375 hectares | +21.7% |
| 2007 | 5,409 hectares | -15.2% |
| 2008 | 3,993 hectares | -26.2% |
| 2009 | 11,549 hectares | +189.2% |
| 2010 | 7,255 hectares | -37.2% |
| 2011 | 5,431 hectares | -25.1% |
| 2012 | 6,225 hectares | +14.6% |
| 2013 | 5,882 hectares | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 5,989 hectares | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 1,739 hectares | -71.0% |
| 2016 | 16,207 hectares | +832.1% |
| 2017 | 5,452 hectares | -66.4% |
| 2018 | 6,311 hectares | +15.7% |
| 2019 | 4,722 hectares | -25.2% |
| 2020 | 6,053 hectares | +28.2% |
| 2021 | 14,854 hectares | +145.4% |
| 2022 | 4,121 hectares | -72.3% |
| 2023 | 10,819 hectares | +162.5% |
| 2024 | 12,686 hectares | +17.3% |
| 2025 | 7,685 hectares | -39.4% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 7,685 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 16% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 7,685 hectares is above the median for South Asia, which is 4,465 hectares, 1.7× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +832.1% | 1,739 hectares | 16,207 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6,120 hectares | 1,224 hectares | 11,549 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 6,521 hectares | 1,739 hectares | 16,207 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,370 hectares | 4,121 hectares | 14,854 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 92 Saudi Arabia 8,908 hectares compare
- 93 Italy 8,157 hectares compare
- 94 Costa Rica 8,028 hectares compare
- 96 Montenegro 7,341 hectares compare
- 97 Cyprus 6,461 hectares compare
- 98 Bangladesh 4,465 hectares compare
More reference data data for Nepal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7753 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7853 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7974 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.28 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nepal?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nepal was 7,685 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 16,207 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,224 hectares in 2002.
- How does Nepal rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Nepal ranks 95th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 342.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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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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.