Forest fires — Burning crop residues in Nigeria

Nigeria: Forest fires — Burning crop residues was 3.29 million t in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
3.29 million t
Change on year
up 16.1%
World rank
32nd
of 219 countries
All-time high
52.67 million t
in 1996
All-time low
566,546 t
in 2018
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires — Burning crop residues in Nigeria, 1990–2024

020.0M40.0M60.0M1990200720241990: 10.8M t1991: 10.8M t1992: 10.8M t1993: 10.8M t1994: 10.8M t1995: 10.8M t1996: 52.7M t1997: 44.8M t1998: 52.6M t1999: 44.5M t2000: 49.4M t2001: 5.9M t2002: 3.2M t2003: 5.5M t2004: 2.1M t2005: 4.8M t2006: 3.6M t2007: 2.9M t2008: 2.8M t2009: 1.3M t2010: 1.8M t2011: 1.8M t2012: 1.9M t2013: 3.7M t2014: 2.1M t2015: 1.5M t2016: 2.7M t2017: 1.7M t2018: 566.5k t2019: 2.1M t2020: 7.7M t2021: 2.6M t2022: 2.2M t2023: 2.8M t2024: 3.3M t

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

Analysis

In 2024, forest fires — burning crop residues in Nigeria stood at 3.29 million t.

That represents a change of up 16.1% on the previous year and up 53.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — burning crop residues in Nigeria peaked at 52.67 million t in 1996 and was at its lowest, 566,546 t, in 2018.

Nigeria ranks 32nd of 219 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Forest fires — Burning crop residues in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter) in Nigeria, 1990 to 2024.
Year t Change
1990 10.85 million t
1991 10.85 million t +0.0%
1992 10.85 million t +0.0%
1993 10.85 million t +0.0%
1994 10.85 million t +0.0%
1995 10.85 million t +0.0%
1996 52.67 million t +385.6%
1997 44.77 million t -15.0%
1998 52.59 million t +17.5%
1999 44.52 million t -15.4%
2000 49.36 million t +10.9%
2001 5.87 million t -88.1%
2002 3.24 million t -44.9%
2003 5.49 million t +69.6%
2004 2.12 million t -61.4%
2005 4.85 million t +128.8%
2006 3.57 million t -26.4%
2007 2.95 million t -17.4%
2008 2.76 million t -6.4%
2009 1.25 million t -54.6%
2010 1.84 million t +46.9%
2011 1.77 million t -3.8%
2012 1.90 million t +7.5%
2013 3.67 million t +92.8%
2014 2.15 million t -41.5%
2015 1.48 million t -31.0%
2016 2.66 million t +79.3%
2017 1.66 million t -37.7%
2018 566,546 t -65.8%
2019 2.15 million t +278.8%
2020 7.71 million t +259.1%
2021 2.63 million t -65.9%
2022 2.23 million t -15.2%
2023 2.84 million t +27.2%
2024 3.29 million t +16.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 25.96 million t 10.85 million t 52.67 million t 10
2000s 8.15 million t 1.25 million t 49.36 million t 10
2010s 1.98 million t 566,546 t 3.67 million t 10
2020s 3.74 million t 2.23 million t 7.71 million t 5

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 29 Cabo Verde 0 t
  2. 30 South Africa 3.45 million t compare
  3. 31 Nicaragua 3.31 million t compare
  4. 33 Belize 3.01 million t compare
  5. 34 Malawi 2.33 million t compare
  6. 35 Bangladesh 1.99 million t compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — burning crop residues in Nigeria?
Forest fires — burning crop residues in Nigeria was 3.29 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — burning crop residues recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 52.67 million t in 1996.
What is the lowest forest fires — burning crop residues recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 566,546 t in 2018.
How does Nigeria rank for forest fires — burning crop residues?
Nigeria ranks 32nd out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — burning crop residues rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 53.5%. 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 — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Burning crop residues in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-burning-crop-residues-biomass-burned-dry-matter-fao-tier-1/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter)
Unit
t
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.