Wildfires in Saudi Arabia
7 fires over 1,000 hectares with a perimeter estimated by GWIS since 2021, adding up to 13,751 hectares burned across 12 governorates.
Only fires of 1,000 ha or more get an entry: smaller ones are not in the lists or the entry totals, but they are in the GWIS yearly series.
What is burning in Saudi Arabia today · 8 › Emergency number and official warnings ›
Key facts
- According to Copernicus GWIS, 13,179 hectares burned in Saudi Arabia in 2025, the highest figure since 2016.
- According to Copernicus GWIS estimates, an average of 8,509 hectares burn in Saudi Arabia each year (2016–2025 average).
- Fires counted by Copernicus GWIS in Saudi Arabia so far in 2026 (up to week 43): 15, against an average of 32 per full year in 2016–2025.
- Largest fire recorded by WorldFires in Saudi Arabia since 2021: Bahrah fire, June 2022, with 3,292 hectares burned — perimeter rebuilt from heat detections (Copernicus GWIS).
Figures computed on 4 November 2026 from the WorldFires database; each sentence names its source. Reusable under CC BY 4.0 with credit to WorldFires.
How the season is going · week 43
Copernicus GWIS · provisionalSaudi Arabia is running below the usual for this point in the year, at 60 % of the average: 4,851 hectares burned up to week 43, against an average of 8,074 in 2012–2025 (Copernicus GWIS). No year between 2012 and 2025 had burned this little by now.
- 2026
- 4,851 ha
- average
- 8,074 ha
- minimum
- 5,826 ha
- maximum
- 13,179 ha
GWIS estimates for the current year are provisional and may change.
The season, week by week
Copernicus GWISThe GWIS yearly series
2012–2026›See the year-by-year table
| Year | Fires | hectares | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 4,851 | GWIS |
| 2025 | 30 | 13,179 | GWIS |
| 2024 | 31 | 8,102 | GWIS |
| 2023 | 31 | 7,503 | GWIS |
| 2022 | 27 | 9,913 | GWIS |
| 2021 | 47 | 10,275 | GWIS |
| 2020 | 28 | 7,012 | GWIS |
| 2019 | 33 | 7,893 | GWIS |
| 2018 | 29 | 6,026 | GWIS |
| 2017 | 36 | 7,374 | GWIS |
| 2016 | 30 | 7,813 | GWIS |
| 2015 | 40 | 8,891 | GWIS |
| 2014 | 41 | 9,953 | GWIS |
| 2013 | 40 | 10,061 | GWIS |
| 2012 | 29 | 8,456 | GWIS |
National estimates from Copernicus GWIS, rebuilt from heat detections since 2012.
When it burned: year by year, month by month
Hectares with a perimeter estimated by GWIS by the fire’s starting month, and the largest fire of each year.
Hectares burned per year
Tell me what burns here
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Largest recorded fires
By region
Governorates that have burned most often in Saudi Arabia
- 2×Bahrah2 years · 4,156 ha
Full ranking: by number of fires, area and share of the municipality →
Fires in 2026 · 2
Fires in 2025 · 2
Fires in 2022 · 2
Fires in 2021 · 1
Frequently asked questions
- How much land burns in Saudi Arabia in an average year?
- According to Copernicus GWIS estimates, an average of 8,509 hectares burn in Saudi Arabia each year (2016–2025 average).
- What was the worst wildfire year in Saudi Arabia?
- The worst year in Saudi Arabia since 2016 was 2025, with 13,179 hectares burned according to Copernicus GWIS.
- What is the largest wildfire recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- Largest fire recorded by WorldFires in Saudi Arabia since 2021: Bahrah fire, June 2022, with 3,292 hectares burned — perimeter rebuilt from heat detections (Copernicus GWIS).
- How many wildfires has Saudi Arabia had in 2026?
- Fires counted by Copernicus GWIS in Saudi Arabia so far in 2026 (up to week 43): 15, against an average of 32 per full year in 2016–2025. Saudi Arabia is running below the usual for this point in the year, at 60 % of the average: 4,851 hectares burned up to week 43, against an average of 8,074 in 2012–2025 (Copernicus GWIS). No year between 2012 and 2025 had burned this little by now.
- Which regions of Saudi Arabia burn the most?
- Regions of Saudi Arabia with the most area burned in fires with a WorldFires page since 2021: Makkah (7,323 ha), Al Bahah (2,147 ha), Tabuk (1,718 ha).