Forest fires — Burned Area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Forest fires — Burned Area was 16.76 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising
Forest fires — Burned Area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, forest fires — 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 — 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 22 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Forest fires — Burned Area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 20.26 million ha | — |
| 1991 | 20.26 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 20.26 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 20.26 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 20.26 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 20.26 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.69 million ha | -67.0% |
| 1997 | 8.04 million ha | +20.2% |
| 1998 | 10.90 million ha | +35.6% |
| 1999 | 10.18 million ha | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 7.20 million ha | -29.3% |
| 2001 | 16.59 million ha | +130.4% |
| 2002 | 16.73 million ha | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 23.47 million ha | +40.3% |
| 2004 | 25.31 million ha | +7.8% |
| 2005 | 25.28 million ha | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 22.73 million ha | -10.1% |
| 2007 | 25.14 million ha | +10.6% |
| 2008 | 23.49 million ha | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 23.03 million ha | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 27.80 million ha | +20.7% |
| 2011 | 25.53 million ha | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 26.54 million ha | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 24.62 million ha | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 23.69 million ha | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 24.84 million ha | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 25.31 million ha | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 24.61 million ha | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 21.69 million ha | -11.9% |
| 2019 | 22.57 million ha | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 22.23 million ha | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 20.85 million ha | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 17.47 million ha | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 16.30 million ha | -6.7% |
| 2024 | 16.76 million ha | +2.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forest fires — Burned Area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +130.4% | 7.20 million ha | 16.59 million ha |
| 1996 | -67.0% | 20.26 million ha | 6.69 million ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 Brazil 5.28 million ha compare
- 2 Zambia 2.93 million ha compare
- 3 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 5.92 million ha compare
- 3 Central African Republic 2.42 million ha compare
- 4 Mozambique 2.26 million ha compare
More climate change data for Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 4.70 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 708,280 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 216,438 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 491,841 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 816.75 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 17,566 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 179,120 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 48,410 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 130,710 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 182.68 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest fires — burned area in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
- Forest fires — 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 — 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 — 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 — burned area?
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) ranks 1st out of 22 groups with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — 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 — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.