Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 919,598 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zimbabwe, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 919,598 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2025.
The figure is up 5.4% on the previous year and down 64.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zimbabwe peaked at 3.55 million hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 630,410 hectares, in 2020.
That places Zimbabwe 29th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1.42 million hectares | — |
| 2003 | 1.67 million hectares | +17.7% |
| 2004 | 2.66 million hectares | +59.0% |
| 2005 | 2.55 million hectares | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 2.33 million hectares | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 2.87 million hectares | +23.2% |
| 2008 | 3.47 million hectares | +21.1% |
| 2009 | 3.53 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 3.55 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 3.55 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 2.57 million hectares | -27.7% |
| 2013 | 1.88 million hectares | -26.8% |
| 2014 | 2.05 million hectares | +9.4% |
| 2015 | 2.62 million hectares | +27.7% |
| 2016 | 1.34 million hectares | -49.0% |
| 2017 | 1.73 million hectares | +29.5% |
| 2018 | 1.80 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.77 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 630,410 hectares | -64.4% |
| 2021 | 1.34 million hectares | +112.6% |
| 2022 | 2.06 million hectares | +53.5% |
| 2023 | 1.67 million hectares | -19.0% |
| 2024 | 872,330 hectares | -47.7% |
| 2025 | 919,598 hectares | +5.4% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 919,598 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 18.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 919,598 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 541,498 hectares, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.56 million hectares | 1.42 million hectares | 3.53 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.29 million hectares | 1.34 million hectares | 3.55 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.25 million hectares | 630,410 hectares | 2.06 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (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 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zimbabwe?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Zimbabwe was 919,598 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 3.55 million hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 630,410 hectares in 2020.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Zimbabwe ranks 29th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.