Nigeria vs South Africa: Forest fires — Burned Area
Nigeria
60,873 ha
in 2024
South Africa
68,512 ha
in 2024
Nigeria rank
32nd
South Africa rank
30th
Forest fires — Burned Area over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 68,512 ha against 60,873 ha in Nigeria, a difference of 7,639 ha.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Nigeria ahead.
Nigeria ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 30th of 219 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 479,899 ha | 102,591 ha | 377,308 ha | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 150,575 ha | 38,598 ha | 111,977 ha | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 36,682 ha | 36,353 ha | 328.61 ha | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 69,112 ha | 30,083 ha | 39,028 ha | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest fires — burned area, Nigeria or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 68,512 ha against 60,873 ha in Nigeria as of 2024.
- What is the difference in forest fires — burned area between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 7,639 ha, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for forest fires — burned area?
- Nigeria ranks 32nd 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.