Forest fires — Burned Area in Malaysia

Malaysia: Forest fires — Burned Area was 12,588 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
12,588 ha
Change on year
up 881.7%
World rank
48th
of 219 countries
All-time high
381,506 ha
in 1998
All-time low
106.85 ha
in 2017
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires — Burned Area in Malaysia, 1990–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1990200720241990: 25.6k ha1991: 25.6k ha1992: 25.6k ha1993: 25.6k ha1994: 25.6k ha1995: 25.6k ha1996: 25.0k ha1997: 39.9k ha1998: 381.5k ha1999: 17.8k ha2000: 18.9k ha2001: 1.8k ha2002: 11.7k ha2003: 8.4k ha2004: 16.8k ha2005: 20.3k ha2006: 13.2k ha2007: 15.6k ha2008: 8.8k ha2009: 34.0k ha2010: 20.5k ha2011: 7.1k ha2012: 5.8k ha2013: 7.1k ha2014: 28.1k ha2015: 8.5k ha2016: 18.3k ha2017: 106.9 ha2018: 5.6k ha2019: 8.8k ha2020: 2.7k ha2021: 2.7k ha2022: 213.7 ha2023: 1.3k ha2024: 12.6k ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, forest fires — burned area in Malaysia stood at 12,588 ha.

That represents a change of up 881.7% on the previous year and down 55.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Malaysia peaked at 381,506 ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 106.85 ha, in 2017.

That places Malaysia 48th out of 219 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.

Forest fires — Burned Area in Malaysia, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Burned Area in Malaysia, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 25,621 ha —
1991 25,621 ha +0.0%
1992 25,621 ha +0.0%
1993 25,621 ha +0.0%
1994 25,621 ha +0.0%
1995 25,621 ha +0.0%
1996 25,012 ha -2.4%
1997 39,920 ha +59.6%
1998 381,506 ha +855.7%
1999 17,827 ha -95.3%
2000 18,877 ha +5.9%
2001 1,838 ha -90.3%
2002 11,690 ha +536.0%
2003 8,420 ha -28.0%
2004 16,819 ha +99.7%
2005 20,345 ha +21.0%
2006 13,186 ha -35.2%
2007 15,558 ha +18.0%
2008 8,762 ha -43.7%
2009 34,044 ha +288.5%
2010 20,538 ha -39.7%
2011 7,074 ha -65.6%
2012 5,792 ha -18.1%
2013 7,052 ha +21.8%
2014 28,060 ha +297.9%
2015 8,463 ha -69.8%
2016 18,316 ha +116.4%
2017 106.85 ha -99.4%
2018 5,578 ha +5120.1%
2019 8,762 ha +57.1%
2020 2,650 ha -69.8%
2021 2,736 ha +3.2%
2022 213.72 ha -92.2%
2023 1,282 ha +500.0%
2024 12,588 ha +881.7%

Malaysia compared with similar countries

  • Malaysia's 12,588 ha is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 344.48 ha, 36.5× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • Malaysia's 12,588 ha is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.81 ha, 294.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Forest fires — Burned Area in Malaysia 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
2018 +5120.1% 106.85 ha 5,578 ha
2024 +881.7% 1,282 ha 12,588 ha
1998 +855.7% 39,920 ha 381,506 ha
2002 +536.0% 1,838 ha 11,690 ha

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 61,799 ha 17,827 ha 381,506 ha 10
2000s 14,954 ha 1,838 ha 34,044 ha 10
2010s 10,974 ha 106.85 ha 28,060 ha 10
2020s 3,894 ha 213.72 ha 12,588 ha 5

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 45 Zimbabwe 17,119 ha compare
  2. 46 Philippines 16,900 ha compare
  3. 47 Guinea 13,234 ha compare
  4. 49 Suriname 12,033 ha compare
  5. 50 Chile 11,277 ha compare
  6. 51 Ghana 9,705 ha compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — burned area in Malaysia?
Forest fires — burned area in Malaysia was 12,588 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 381,506 ha in 1998.
What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 106.85 ha in 2017.
How does Malaysia rank for forest fires — burned area?
Malaysia ranks 48th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 55.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malaysia 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 Malaysia. 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/malaysia/

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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.