Australia vs Western Africa: Forest fires — Burned Area
Australia
125,716 ha
in 2024
Western Africa
141,982 ha
in 2024
Australia rank
21st
Western Africa rank
18th
Forest fires — Burned Area over time
- Australia
- Western Africa
How they compare
Western Africa currently reports 141,982 ha against 125,716 ha in Australia, a difference of 16,266 ha.
That makes Western Africa's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Western Africa ahead.
Australia ranks 21st and Western Africa ranks 18th of 219 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and Western Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Western Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 605,312 ha | 1.09 million ha | 483,889 ha | Western Africa |
| 2000s | 491,890 ha | 371,409 ha | 120,481 ha | Australia |
| 2010s | 578,161 ha | 185,761 ha | 392,399 ha | Australia |
| 2020s | 444,918 ha | 143,595 ha | 301,323 ha | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest fires — burned area, Australia or Western Africa?
- Western Africa, at 141,982 ha against 125,716 ha in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in forest fires — burned area between Australia and Western Africa?
- 16,266 ha, with Western Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Western Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Australia and Western Africa rank globally for forest fires — burned area?
- Australia ranks 21st and Western Africa ranks 18th of 219 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Forest fires — Burned Area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
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.