Forest fires — Burned Area in Nigeria
Nigeria: Forest fires — Burned Area was 60,873 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Burned Area in Nigeria, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, forest fires — burned area in Nigeria stood at 60,873 ha.
The figure is up 16.1% on the previous year and up 53.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Nigeria peaked at 973,506 ha in 1996 and was at its lowest, 10,474 ha, in 2018.
That places Nigeria 32nd 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 200,489 ha | — |
| 1991 | 200,489 ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 200,489 ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 200,489 ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 200,489 ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 200,489 ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 973,506 ha | +385.6% |
| 1997 | 827,550 ha | -15.0% |
| 1998 | 972,164 ha | +17.5% |
| 1999 | 822,833 ha | -15.4% |
| 2000 | 912,308 ha | +10.9% |
| 2001 | 108,591 ha | -88.1% |
| 2002 | 59,833 ha | -44.9% |
| 2003 | 101,449 ha | +69.6% |
| 2004 | 39,182 ha | -61.4% |
| 2005 | 89,652 ha | +128.8% |
| 2006 | 66,010 ha | -26.4% |
| 2007 | 54,509 ha | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 51,044 ha | -6.4% |
| 2009 | 23,172 ha | -54.6% |
| 2010 | 34,050 ha | +46.9% |
| 2011 | 32,747 ha | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 35,206 ha | +7.5% |
| 2013 | 67,867 ha | +92.8% |
| 2014 | 39,716 ha | -41.5% |
| 2015 | 27,381 ha | -31.1% |
| 2016 | 49,097 ha | +79.3% |
| 2017 | 30,608 ha | -37.7% |
| 2018 | 10,474 ha | -65.8% |
| 2019 | 39,673 ha | +278.8% |
| 2020 | 142,457 ha | +259.1% |
| 2021 | 48,607 ha | -65.9% |
| 2022 | 41,210 ha | -15.2% |
| 2023 | 52,412 ha | +27.2% |
| 2024 | 60,873 ha | +16.1% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 60,873 ha is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,929 ha, 31.6× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 60,873 ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,274 ha, 18.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forest fires — Burned Area in Nigeria 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +385.6% | 200,489 ha | 973,506 ha |
| 2019 | +278.8% | 10,474 ha | 39,673 ha |
| 2020 | +259.1% | 39,673 ha | 142,457 ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 479,899 ha | 200,489 ha | 973,506 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 150,575 ha | 23,172 ha | 912,308 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 36,682 ha | 10,474 ha | 67,867 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 69,112 ha | 41,210 ha | 142,457 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 29 Cabo Verde 0 ha
- 29 Chad 83,816 ha compare
- 30 South Africa 68,512 ha compare
- 31 Nicaragua 61,142 ha compare
- 33 Belize 55,708 ha compare
- 34 Malawi 43,559 ha compare
- 35 Bangladesh 36,784 ha compare
More climate change data for Nigeria
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 608.40 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 66,810 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 24,814 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 41,996 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 93.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,500 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 22,614 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 7,292 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 15,322 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 27.52 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest fires — burned area in Nigeria?
- Forest fires — burned area in Nigeria was 60,873 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 973,506 ha in 1996.
- What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,474 ha in 2018.
- How does Nigeria rank for forest fires — burned area?
- Nigeria ranks 32nd out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 53.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.