Forest fires β€” Burned Area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Forest fires β€” Burned Area was 16.76 million ha in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
16.76 million ha
Change on year
up 2.8%
Rank
1st
of 46 regions
All-time high
27.80 million ha
in 2010
All-time low
6.69 million ha
in 1996
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires β€” Burned Area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 1990–2024

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M30.0M1990200720241990: 20.3M ha1991: 20.3M ha1992: 20.3M ha1993: 20.3M ha1994: 20.3M ha1995: 20.3M ha1996: 6.7M ha1997: 8.0M ha1998: 10.9M ha1999: 10.2M ha2000: 7.2M ha2001: 16.6M ha2002: 16.7M ha2003: 23.5M ha2004: 25.3M ha2005: 25.3M ha2006: 22.7M ha2007: 25.1M ha2008: 23.5M ha2009: 23.0M ha2010: 27.8M ha2011: 25.5M ha2012: 26.5M ha2013: 24.6M ha2014: 23.7M ha2015: 24.8M ha2016: 25.3M ha2017: 24.6M ha2018: 21.7M ha2019: 22.6M ha2020: 22.2M ha2021: 20.9M ha2022: 17.5M ha2023: 16.3M ha2024: 16.8M ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, forest fires β€” burned area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) stood at 16.76 million ha.

The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and down 29.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires β€” burned area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) peaked at 27.80 million ha in 2010 and was at its lowest, 6.69 million ha, in 1996.

Least Developed Countries (LDCs) ranks 1st of 46 regions on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.74 million ha 6.69 million ha 20.26 million ha 10
2000s 20.90 million ha 7.20 million ha 25.31 million ha 10
2010s 24.72 million ha 21.69 million ha 27.80 million ha 10
2020s 18.72 million ha 16.30 million ha 22.23 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

  1. 1 Brazil 5.28 million ha compare
  2. 2 Zambia 2.93 million ha compare
  3. 3 Central African Republic 2.42 million ha compare
  4. 4 Mozambique 2.26 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 272 places β†’

More climate change data for Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

All data for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires β€” burned area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
Forest fires β€” burned area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was 16.76 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires β€” burned area recorded in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
The highest recorded value was 27.80 million ha in 2010.
What is the lowest forest fires β€” burned area recorded in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
The lowest recorded value was 6.69 million ha in 1996.
How does Least Developed Countries (LDCs) rank for forest fires β€” burned area?
Least Developed Countries (LDCs) ranks 1st out of 46 regions with data for 2024.
Is forest fires β€” burned area rising or falling in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least Developed Countries (LDCs) data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires β€” Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires β€” Burned Area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/least-developed-countries-ldcs/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires β€” 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.