Australia and New Zealand vs South America: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area

Australia and New Zealand
2.73 million ha
in 2024
South America
19.58 million ha
in 2024
Australia and New Zealand rank
12th
South America rank
9th

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area over time

  • Australia and New Zealand
  • South America
010.0M20.0M30.0M199020072024

How they compare

South America currently reports 19.58 million ha against 2.73 million ha in Australia and New Zealand, a difference of 16.85 million ha.

That makes South America's figure about 7.2 times Australia and New Zealand's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South America ahead.

Australia and New Zealand ranks 12th and South America ranks 9th of 221 countries.

South America has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia and New Zealand South America Difference Ahead
1990s 10.88 million ha 15.94 million ha 5.06 million ha South America
2000s 6.89 million ha 17.71 million ha 10.82 million ha South America
2010s 5.10 million ha 16.66 million ha 11.56 million ha South America
2020s 3.45 million ha 16.78 million ha 13.32 million ha South America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher savanna and woody savanna — burned area, Australia and New Zealand or South America?
South America, at 19.58 million ha against 2.73 million ha in Australia and New Zealand as of 2024.
What is the difference in savanna and woody savanna — burned area between Australia and New Zealand and South America?
16.85 million ha, with South America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand and South America?
35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
How do Australia and New Zealand and South America rank globally for savanna and woody savanna — burned area?
Australia and New Zealand ranks 12th and South America ranks 9th of 221 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia and New Zealand vs South America: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/australia-and-new-zealand/south-america/

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<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/australia-and-new-zealand/south-america/">Australia and New Zealand vs South America: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
274 places, 9,364 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

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.