Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nigeria
Nigeria: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 3.00 million hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nigeria, 2002–2024
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 Nigeria is 3.00 million hectares, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 8.0% on the previous year and up 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nigeria peaked at 4.93 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2.50 million hectares, in 2018.
Nigeria ranks 14th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.17 million hectares | 3.18 million hectares | 4.93 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.86 million hectares | 2.50 million hectares | 3.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.18 million hectares | 2.92 million hectares | 3.50 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3105 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.8 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.4187 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.76 °C (2025)
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- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nigeria?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nigeria was 3.00 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.93 million hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.50 million hectares in 2018.
- How does Nigeria rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Nigeria ranks 14th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.