Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zambia
Zambia: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 3.95 million hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zambia, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zambia stood at 3.95 million hectares.
That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zambia peaked at 5.76 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 3.40 million hectares, in 2020.
That places Zambia 7th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zambia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 4.44 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 5.19 million hectares | +16.9% |
| 2004 | 5.60 million hectares | +7.8% |
| 2005 | 5.76 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 4.59 million hectares | -20.2% |
| 2007 | 5.26 million hectares | +14.6% |
| 2008 | 4.83 million hectares | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 4.20 million hectares | -13.0% |
| 2010 | 4.54 million hectares | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 4.69 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 4.97 million hectares | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 4.74 million hectares | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 4.66 million hectares | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 4.67 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 4.69 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 3.67 million hectares | -21.8% |
| 2018 | 3.54 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 3.85 million hectares | +8.5% |
| 2020 | 3.40 million hectares | -11.6% |
| 2021 | 4.03 million hectares | +18.6% |
| 2022 | 4.06 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 4.35 million hectares | +7.1% |
| 2024 | 4.08 million hectares | -6.1% |
| 2025 | 3.95 million hectares | -3.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 3.95 million hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 79.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 3.95 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 7.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.98 million hectares | 4.20 million hectares | 5.76 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 4.40 million hectares | 3.54 million hectares | 4.97 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.98 million hectares | 3.40 million hectares | 4.35 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zambia?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zambia was 3.95 million 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.76 million hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.40 million hectares in 2020.
- How does Zambia rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Zambia ranks 7th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.