Forest fires — Burned Area in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Forest fires — Burned Area was 140,455 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
140,455 ha
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
19th
of 219 countries
All-time high
311,951 ha
in 2001
All-time low
72,270 ha
in 1996
Years of data
32
1993–2024

Forest fires — Burned Area in Ethiopia, 1993–2024

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k300.0k1993200820241993: 190.9k ha1994: 190.9k ha1995: 190.9k ha1996: 72.3k ha1997: 220.1k ha1998: 207.2k ha1999: 304.5k ha2000: 240.4k ha2001: 312.0k ha2002: 141.8k ha2003: 192.7k ha2004: 197.9k ha2005: 218.9k ha2006: 216.7k ha2007: 279.9k ha2008: 200.5k ha2009: 99.4k ha2010: 155.7k ha2011: 186.8k ha2012: 199.0k ha2013: 160.3k ha2014: 184.0k ha2015: 138.2k ha2016: 149.5k ha2017: 165.7k ha2018: 159.0k ha2019: 189.7k ha2020: 250.5k ha2021: 241.8k ha2022: 164.2k ha2023: 147.0k ha2024: 140.5k ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

The most recent figure for forest fires — burned area in Ethiopia is 140,455 ha, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 23.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Ethiopia peaked at 311,951 ha in 2001 and was at its lowest, 72,270 ha, in 1996.

Ethiopia ranks 19th of 219 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.

Forest fires — Burned Area in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Burned Area in Ethiopia, 1993 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1993 190,897 ha —
1994 190,897 ha +0.0%
1995 190,897 ha +0.0%
1996 72,270 ha -62.1%
1997 220,084 ha +204.5%
1998 207,161 ha -5.9%
1999 304,470 ha +47.0%
2000 240,413 ha -21.0%
2001 311,951 ha +29.8%
2002 141,774 ha -54.6%
2003 192,665 ha +35.9%
2004 197,864 ha +2.7%
2005 218,939 ha +10.7%
2006 216,655 ha -1.0%
2007 279,928 ha +29.2%
2008 200,473 ha -28.4%
2009 99,424 ha -50.4%
2010 155,683 ha +56.6%
2011 186,786 ha +20.0%
2012 199,033 ha +6.6%
2013 160,322 ha -19.4%
2014 183,962 ha +14.7%
2015 138,176 ha -24.9%
2016 149,548 ha +8.2%
2017 165,749 ha +10.8%
2018 159,039 ha -4.0%
2019 189,698 ha +19.3%
2020 250,527 ha +32.1%
2021 241,844 ha -3.5%
2022 164,158 ha -32.1%
2023 146,973 ha -10.5%
2024 140,455 ha -4.4%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 140,455 ha is above the median for low income countries, which is 1,988 ha, 70.7× the median. (22 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 140,455 ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,274 ha, 42.9× the median. (44 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Forest fires — Burned Area in Ethiopia 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.

YearChange FromTo
1997 +204.5% 72,270 ha 220,084 ha

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 196,668 ha 72,270 ha 304,470 ha 7
2000s 210,009 ha 99,424 ha 311,951 ha 10
2010s 168,800 ha 138,176 ha 199,033 ha 10
2020s 188,791 ha 140,455 ha 250,527 ha 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 16 Sudan (former) 276,002 ha compare
  2. 17 Paraguay 178,192 ha compare
  3. 18 Congo 165,085 ha compare
  4. 20 Australia and New Zealand 126,361 ha compare
  5. 21 Australia 125,716 ha compare
  6. 22 Madagascar 116,407 ha compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — burned area in Ethiopia?
Forest fires — burned area in Ethiopia was 140,455 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 311,951 ha in 2001.
What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 72,270 ha in 1996.
How does Ethiopia rank for forest fires — burned area?
Ethiopia ranks 19th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Burned Area in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
272 places, 9,294 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Fires consists of estimates of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from biomass burning in a range of vegetation types and from fires in organic soils.