Tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Tree cover loss from wildfires was 4,651 hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea stood at 4,651 hectares.
That represents a change of up 232.8% on the previous year and up 203.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea peaked at 54,573 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 453.2 hectares, in 2003.
That places Papua New Guinea 30th out of 152 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 609.41 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 1,181 hectares | +93.8% |
| 2003 | 453.2 hectares | -61.6% |
| 2004 | 1,454 hectares | +220.7% |
| 2005 | 1,977 hectares | +36.0% |
| 2006 | 961.45 hectares | -51.4% |
| 2007 | 1,011 hectares | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 785.25 hectares | -22.3% |
| 2009 | 925.07 hectares | +17.8% |
| 2010 | 2,082 hectares | +125.0% |
| 2011 | 723.26 hectares | -65.3% |
| 2012 | 1,064 hectares | +47.1% |
| 2013 | 1,980 hectares | +86.1% |
| 2014 | 1,532 hectares | -22.6% |
| 2015 | 32,426 hectares | +2017.3% |
| 2016 | 54,573 hectares | +68.3% |
| 2017 | 3,009 hectares | -94.5% |
| 2018 | 1,407 hectares | -53.2% |
| 2019 | 1,490 hectares | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 1,292 hectares | -13.3% |
| 2021 | 1,990 hectares | +54.1% |
| 2022 | 3,099 hectares | +55.7% |
| 2023 | 1,398 hectares | -54.9% |
| 2024 | 4,651 hectares | +232.8% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 4,651 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 169.25 hectares, 27.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 4,651 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 835.53 hectares, 5.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +2017.3% | 1,532 hectares | 32,426 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,040 hectares | 453.2 hectares | 1,977 hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 10,029 hectares | 723.26 hectares | 54,573 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,486 hectares | 1,292 hectares | 4,651 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2042 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0007 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6846 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5295 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2811 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0038 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea?
- Tree cover loss from wildfires in Papua New Guinea was 4,651 hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tree cover loss from wildfires recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 54,573 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss from wildfires recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 453.2 hectares in 2003.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for tree cover loss from wildfires?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 30th out of 152 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tree cover loss from wildfires rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 203.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Tree cover loss from wildfires. 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
Tree cover loss due to fire with no visible human conversion or agricultural activity afterward. Fires may be started by natural causes (e.g. lightning) or may be related to human activities (accidental or deliberate).