Burkina Faso is the hottest country in the world by average annual temperature, at approximately 30.40°C (86.72°F), according to World Bank climate data for 1991–2020. Mali, Senegal, and Mauritania also rank near the top, with average temperatures above 28°C (82.4°F).
Many of the world’s hottest countries are in Africa, particularly across the Sahel and other tropical regions. However, tropical island nations and countries on the Arabian Peninsula also rank highly because temperatures remain warm through much of the year. This ranking uses long-term annual averages rather than record high temperatures.
Top 50 Hottest Countries in the World
| Rank | Country | Average annual temperature |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 30.40°C (86.72°F) |
| 2 | Mali | 29.21°C (84.58°F) |
| 3 | Senegal | 28.90°C (84.02°F) |
| 4 | Mauritania | 28.82°C (83.88°F) |
| 5 | Tuvalu | 28.62°C (83.52°F) |
| 6 | Djibouti | 28.49°C (83.28°F) |
| 7 | The Gambia | 28.38°C (83.08°F) |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | 28.17°C (82.71°F) |
| 9 | Maldives | 28.11°C (82.60°F) |
| 10 | Niger | 28.04°C (82.47°F) |
| 11 | Benin | 28.02°C (82.44°F) |
| 12 | Qatar | 28.02°C (82.44°F) |
| 13 | Marshall Islands | 28.01°C (82.42°F) |
| 14 | Guinea-Bissau | 27.98°C (82.36°F) |
| 15 | South Sudan | 27.97°C (82.35°F) |
| 16 | Sudan | 27.95°C (82.31°F) |
| 17 | Palau | 27.90°C (82.22°F) |
| 18 | Nauru | 27.83°C (82.09°F) |
| 19 | Kiribati | 27.77°C (81.99°F) |
| 20 | Bahrain | 27.69°C (81.84°F) |
| 21 | Singapore | 27.68°C (81.82°F) |
| 22 | Ghana | 27.66°C (81.79°F) |
| 23 | Oman | 27.64°C (81.75°F) |
| 24 | Chad | 27.63°C (81.73°F) |
| 25 | Samoa | 27.58°C (81.64°F) |
| 26 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 27.47°C (81.45°F) |
| 27 | Cambodia | 27.41°C (81.34°F) |
| 28 | Togo | 27.33°C (81.19°F) |
| 29 | Nigeria | 27.30°C (81.14°F) |
| 30 | Federated States of Micronesia | 27.28°C (81.10°F) |
| 31 | Sri Lanka | 27.25°C (81.05°F) |
| 32 | Antigua and Barbuda | 27.20°C (80.96°F) |
| 33 | Philippines | 27.10°C (80.78°F) |
| 34 | Seychelles | 27.09°C (80.76°F) |
| 35 | Saint Lucia | 27.00°C (80.60°F) |
| 36 | Brunei | 26.95°C (80.51°F) |
| 37 | Somalia | 26.95°C (80.51°F) |
| 38 | Thailand | 26.85°C (80.33°F) |
| 39 | Dominica | 26.83°C (80.29°F) |
| 40 | Côte d’Ivoire | 26.80°C (80.24°F) |
| 41 | Eritrea | 26.63°C (79.93°F) |
| 42 | Barbados | 26.61°C (79.90°F) |
| 43 | Suriname | 26.58°C (79.84°F) |
| 44 | Trinidad and Tobago | 26.55°C (79.79°F) |
| 45 | Sierra Leone | 26.54°C (79.77°F) |
| 46 | Grenada | 26.49°C (79.68°F) |
| 47 | Malaysia | 26.38°C (79.48°F) |
| 48 | Kuwait | 26.31°C (79.36°F) |
| 49 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 26.17°C (79.11°F) |
| 50 | Guyana | 26.12°C (79.02°F) |
Source and period: country-level average annual temperatures for 1991–2020 from the World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal, derived from Climatic Research Unit data. The ranking above includes independent countries only, so dependent territories appearing in the underlying geographic data, such as Aruba, Curaçao, Tokelau, Guam, and the Cayman Islands, have been excluded and the remaining countries have been renumbered.
The World Bank’s CRU observed climate dataset provides long-term climatological periods including 1991–2020. Using one period and dataset is important because rankings can change when different data sources, geographic methods, or individual years are compared.
Why Are These Countries So Hot?
The countries at the top of the ranking are not all hot for exactly the same reason. Their annual averages reflect latitude, regional climate, rainfall patterns, altitude, and how much temperatures vary through the seasons.
1. Geographic Location
Many of the hottest countries lie in tropical or subtropical latitudes where solar energy is relatively strong throughout much of the year. West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Benin, and The Gambia all benefit from this consistently warm geographic setting.
Countries close to the equator can also maintain high annual averages because they experience less seasonal cooling than locations farther north or south. Singapore and several Pacific and Indian Ocean island countries are examples.
2. Desert and Semi-Arid Climates
Several highly ranked countries are located in the Sahel, a hot semi-arid region south of the Sahara. Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad experience long periods of high temperatures and pronounced dry seasons.
The Arabian Peninsula has a similar effect on the ranking. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait experience very hot conditions for substantial parts of the year, although their seasonal patterns are different from those of tropical West Africa.
3. Consistently Warm Tropical Climates
Some island nations rank highly without experiencing the extreme daytime heat associated with major deserts. Tuvalu, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and Kiribati have tropical oceanic climates where temperatures remain warm through most or all of the year.
A country can therefore achieve a very high annual average through consistent warmth rather than extraordinarily high maximum temperatures. Ocean influence may limit temperature extremes while also preventing the colder seasons that would lower the annual average.
This is why a high average annual temperature should not be interpreted as meaning that every day is extremely hot. Mountainous areas, rainy seasons, nighttime temperatures, and local climate differences can make conditions vary considerably within the same country.
Which Country Is the Hottest in the World?
Using the World Bank/CRU 1991–2020 dataset applied in this ranking, Burkina Faso is the hottest country in the world, with an average annual temperature of 30.40°C (86.72°F).
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. Its climate is generally tropical, with a pronounced dry season and a rainy season whose length varies across the country. Much of the country also lies within or close to the Sahel, where high temperatures persist for long periods.
An annual average of 30.40°C does not mean the temperature stays close to 30°C every hour of every day. Daytime temperatures can climb substantially higher during the hottest part of the year, while nights and wetter periods can be cooler.
Burkina Faso’s first-place position also applies specifically to this dataset and methodology. Another study using a different reference period or method could produce a slightly different ordering.
Hottest Country vs. Highest Temperature Ever Recorded
The hottest country by average temperature and the location of the highest temperature ever recorded are two different climate measurements.
An average annual temperature combines conditions across an entire year and across the country’s territory. It rewards places that remain consistently warm for long periods.
A temperature record, by contrast, is the highest reading measured at one particular location and time. A desert weather station can record an exceptional temperature even if cooler winters, mountains, coastal areas, or other regions lower the country’s annual average.
That is why this ranking should not be interpreted as a list of countries with the most extreme heat records. It answers a different question: which independent countries have the highest long-term average annual temperatures using the same 1991–2020 climate dataset.