What Is the Hottest Country in the World? It’s Complicated.
“Hottest country” depends on how you measure heat. Burkina Faso often tops average annual temperature lists, but other metrics tell different stories.
By Average Annual Temperature (World Bank / Berkeley Earth)
| Rank | Country | Avg Temp (°C) | Notes |
|---|
| 1 | Burkina Faso | 28.7–29.0 | Sahel; landlocked; minimal maritime moderation |
| 2 | Mali | 28.5–28.8 | Similar Sahelian climate |
| 3 | Kiribati | 28.2–28.5 | Pacific atolls; ocean buffers extremes |
| 4 | Tuvalu | 28.0–28.3 | Same |
| 5 | Djibouti | 28.0–28.5 | Red Sea coast; extreme humidity + heat |
| 6 | Senegal | 27.8–28.2 | |
| 7 | Mauritania | 27.7–28.1 | |
| 8 | Maldives | 27.7–28.0 | |
| 9 | Palau | 27.6–27.9 | |
| 10 | Benin | 27.5–27.8 | |
By Highest Recorded Temperature
- 56.7°C (134°F) — Furnace Creek, Death Valley, USA (1913) — highest reliably recorded on Earth.
- 54.0°C (129.2°F) — Mitribah, Kuwait (2016) & Turbat, Pakistan (2017).
- 53.7°C (128.7°F) — Ahvaz, Iran (2017).
- 51.3°C (124.3°F) — Ouargla, Algeria (2018) — Africa record.
By Heat Index (Temperature + Humidity = “Feels Like”)
- Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (2003): 42°C + 68% RH → 81°C (178°F) heat index.
- Bandar Mahshahr, Iran (2015): 46°C + 50% RH → 74°C (165°F).
- Coastal Gulf states (UAE, Qatar, Bahrain) regularly hit “unlivable” wet-bulb thresholds (>35°C).
By Consistency (Least Seasonal Variation)
- Equatorial nations: Singapore, Maldives, Kiribati, Ecuador, Colombia, Indonesia — 26–28°C year-round, no “winter.”
Burkina Faso Profile
- Landlocked West Africa; 274,000 km²; ~23M people.
- Two seasons: dry (Nov–Apr, Harmattan dust), wet (May–Oct).
- March–April peaks: 38–42°C daily max; 48°C (118°F) recorded 2018.
- Climate vulnerability: desertification, water scarcity, agriculture-dependent economy.
Takeaway
Burkina Faso = hottest on average year-round.
USA (Death Valley) = hottest single recorded temperature.
Gulf states = hottest feels-like (heat index).
Equatorial islands = most consistently hot.
Climate change is pushing all these records upward—what’s “hottest” today may be surpassed tomorrow.
Wanderlust World