South Africa vs Western Europe: Forest fires — Burned Area
South Africa
68,512 ha
in 2024
Western Europe
796.38 ha
in 2024
South Africa rank
30th
Western Europe rank
28th
Forest fires — Burned Area over time
- South Africa
- Western Europe
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 68,512 ha against 796.38 ha in Western Europe, a difference of 67,716 ha.
That makes South Africa's figure about 86.0 times Western Europe's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 30th and Western Europe ranks 28th of 219 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Western Europe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 102,591 ha | 3,282 ha | 99,309 ha | South Africa |
| 2000s | 38,598 ha | 4,315 ha | 34,283 ha | South Africa |
| 2010s | 36,353 ha | 4,355 ha | 31,998 ha | South Africa |
| 2020s | 30,083 ha | 5,262 ha | 24,822 ha | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forest fires — burned area, South Africa or Western Europe?
- South Africa, at 68,512 ha against 796.38 ha in Western Europe as of 2024.
- What is the difference in forest fires — burned area between South Africa and Western Europe?
- 67,716 ha, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Western Europe?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Western Europe rank globally for forest fires — burned area?
- South Africa ranks 30th and Western Europe ranks 28th 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.