Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 15,026 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone is 15,026 hectares, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 16.6% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Sierra Leone peaked at 19,534 hectares in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2,812 hectares, in 2002.
That places Sierra Leone 80th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2,812 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 7,148 hectares | +154.2% |
| 2004 | 4,894 hectares | -31.5% |
| 2005 | 3,048 hectares | -37.7% |
| 2006 | 6,483 hectares | +112.7% |
| 2007 | 8,930 hectares | +37.7% |
| 2008 | 5,989 hectares | -32.9% |
| 2009 | 12,858 hectares | +114.7% |
| 2010 | 5,109 hectares | -60.3% |
| 2011 | 9,466 hectares | +85.3% |
| 2012 | 16,679 hectares | +76.2% |
| 2013 | 13,524 hectares | -18.9% |
| 2014 | 19,427 hectares | +43.7% |
| 2015 | 18,976 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 16,980 hectares | -10.5% |
| 2017 | 19,534 hectares | +15.0% |
| 2018 | 15,692 hectares | -19.7% |
| 2019 | 19,083 hectares | +21.6% |
| 2020 | 7,191 hectares | -62.3% |
| 2021 | 14,490 hectares | +101.5% |
| 2022 | 19,255 hectares | +32.9% |
| 2023 | 15,498 hectares | -19.5% |
| 2024 | 18,010 hectares | +16.2% |
| 2025 | 15,026 hectares | -16.6% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 15,026 hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 96,961 hectares, 15% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 15,026 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 3% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6,520 hectares | 2,812 hectares | 12,858 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 15,447 hectares | 5,109 hectares | 19,534 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,912 hectares | 7,191 hectares | 19,255 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0238 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6534 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Sierra Leone?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Sierra Leone was 15,026 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 19,534 hectares in 2017.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,812 hectares in 2002.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Sierra Leone ranks 80th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.