Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year was 1.2% in 2026. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2026)
1.2%
Change on year
up 212.8%
World rank
43rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.7%
in 2015
All-time low
0.4%
in 2025
Years of data
15
2012–2026

Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea, 2012–2026

0123452012201920262012: 0.864 %2013: 0.817 %2014: 1.3 %2015: 4.7 %2016: 0.631 %2017: 0.872 %2018: 1.7 %2019: 1 %2020: 0.56 %2021: 0.669 %2022: 1 %2023: 1.4 %2024: 0.567 %2025: 0.374 %2026: 1.2 %

Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2026, share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea stood at 1.2%.

That represents a change of up 212.8% on the previous year and up 85.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea peaked at 4.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2025.

Papua New Guinea ranks 43rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea, year by year

Annual values for Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea, 2012 to 2026.
Year % Change
2012 0.9%
2013 0.8% -5.4%
2014 1.3% +64.4%
2015 4.7% +247.7%
2016 0.6% -86.5%
2017 0.9% +38.2%
2018 1.7% +96.3%
2019 1.0% -38.9%
2020 0.6% -46.5%
2021 0.7% +19.4%
2022 1.0% +56.7%
2023 1.4% +34.1%
2024 0.6% -59.7%
2025 0.4% -34.0%
2026 1.2% +212.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.5% 0.6% 4.7% 8
2020s 0.8% 0.4% 1.4% 7

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 40 Paraguay 1.2% compare
  2. 41 India 1.2% compare
  3. 42 Mali 1.2% compare
  4. 44 Zimbabwe 1.1% compare
  5. 45 Nepal 1.1% compare
  6. 46 Vanuatu 1.0% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea?
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea was 1.2% in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2025.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year?
Papua New Guinea ranks 43rd out of 236 countries with data for 2026.
Is share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is up 85.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Papua New Guinea. Statizoid, drawing on Global Wildfire Information System (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-the-total-land-area-burnt-by-wildfires-each-year/papua-new-guinea/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year
Unit
%
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed

The total area consumed by wildfires is recorded for each fire event, even if fires occur in the same location multiple times. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 28 August 2026.