Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Rwanda
Rwanda: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 20,135 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Rwanda, 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 Rwanda is 20,135 hectares, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 42.2% on the previous year and down 59.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Rwanda peaked at 49,672 hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 5,388 hectares, in 2007.
Rwanda ranks 73rd of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 39,368 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 28,936 hectares | -26.5% |
| 2004 | 22,389 hectares | -22.6% |
| 2005 | 19,105 hectares | -14.7% |
| 2006 | 12,579 hectares | -34.2% |
| 2007 | 5,388 hectares | -57.2% |
| 2008 | 13,803 hectares | +156.2% |
| 2009 | 11,141 hectares | -19.3% |
| 2010 | 33,036 hectares | +196.5% |
| 2011 | 5,710 hectares | -82.7% |
| 2012 | 25,416 hectares | +345.1% |
| 2013 | 31,254 hectares | +23.0% |
| 2014 | 26,875 hectares | -14.0% |
| 2015 | 49,672 hectares | +84.8% |
| 2016 | 48,341 hectares | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 43,576 hectares | -9.9% |
| 2018 | 27,111 hectares | -37.8% |
| 2019 | 25,716 hectares | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 32,070 hectares | +24.7% |
| 2021 | 25,780 hectares | -19.6% |
| 2022 | 30,009 hectares | +16.4% |
| 2023 | 30,009 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 34,839 hectares | +16.1% |
| 2025 | 20,135 hectares | -42.2% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 20,135 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 96,961 hectares, 21% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 20,135 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 4% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Rwanda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +345.1% | 5,710 hectares | 25,416 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19,089 hectares | 5,388 hectares | 39,368 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 31,671 hectares | 5,710 hectares | 49,672 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 28,807 hectares | 20,135 hectares | 34,839 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More reference data data for Rwanda
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2282 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1223 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7651 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9517 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.666 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Rwanda?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Rwanda was 20,135 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 49,672 hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,388 hectares in 2007.
- How does Rwanda rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Rwanda ranks 73rd out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.