China vs South Africa: Forest fires — Burned Area
China
85,701 ha
in 2024
South Africa
68,512 ha
in 2024
China rank
27th
South Africa rank
30th
Forest fires — Burned Area over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
China currently reports 85,701 ha against 68,512 ha in South Africa, a difference of 17,189 ha.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was China ahead.
China ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 30th of 219 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 128,289 ha | 102,591 ha | 25,699 ha | China |
| 2000s | 143,115 ha | 38,598 ha | 104,518 ha | China |
| 2010s | 91,616 ha | 36,353 ha | 55,262 ha | China |
| 2020s | 84,145 ha | 30,083 ha | 54,062 ha | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest fires — burned area, China or South Africa?
- China, at 85,701 ha against 68,512 ha in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in forest fires — burned area between China and South Africa?
- 17,189 ha, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for forest fires — burned area?
- China ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 30th 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.