Closed and open shrubland — Burned Area in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Closed and open shrubland — Burned Area was 1.19 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Closed and open shrubland — Burned Area in Southern Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, closed and open shrubland — burned area in Southern Africa stood at 1.19 million ha.
The figure is down 83.1% on the previous year and up 40.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, closed and open shrubland — burned area in Southern Africa peaked at 12.16 million ha in 2011 and was at its lowest, 331,694 ha, in 2019.
Southern Africa ranks 7th of 31 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Closed and open shrubland — Burned Area in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.17 million ha | — |
| 1991 | 3.17 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3.17 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3.17 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.17 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.17 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.25 million ha | -60.6% |
| 1997 | 1.43 million ha | +14.4% |
| 1998 | 1.29 million ha | -9.6% |
| 1999 | 1.17 million ha | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 983,778 ha | -16.1% |
| 2001 | 4.26 million ha | +333.5% |
| 2002 | 4.67 million ha | +9.6% |
| 2003 | 1.24 million ha | -73.4% |
| 2004 | 893,369 ha | -28.2% |
| 2005 | 1.44 million ha | +61.1% |
| 2006 | 3.07 million ha | +113.1% |
| 2007 | 2.60 million ha | -15.3% |
| 2008 | 5.25 million ha | +102.2% |
| 2009 | 2.45 million ha | -53.2% |
| 2010 | 7.14 million ha | +190.9% |
| 2011 | 12.16 million ha | +70.3% |
| 2012 | 6.59 million ha | -45.8% |
| 2013 | 2.64 million ha | -60.0% |
| 2014 | 852,707 ha | -67.7% |
| 2015 | 1.20 million ha | +40.4% |
| 2016 | 776,589 ha | -35.1% |
| 2017 | 2.50 million ha | +222.1% |
| 2018 | 1.49 million ha | -40.3% |
| 2019 | 331,694 ha | -77.8% |
| 2020 | 3.12 million ha | +840.2% |
| 2021 | 7.57 million ha | +142.9% |
| 2022 | 5.15 million ha | -32.0% |
| 2023 | 7.08 million ha | +37.6% |
| 2024 | 1.19 million ha | -83.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.41 million ha | 1.17 million ha | 3.17 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.69 million ha | 893,369 ha | 5.25 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.57 million ha | 331,694 ha | 12.16 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.82 million ha | 1.19 million ha | 7.57 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
- 4 Russian Federation 1.02 million ha compare
- 5 Botswana 939,936 ha compare
- 6 Angola 312,076 ha compare
- 7 South Africa 195,367 ha compare
- 7 Türkiye 1,976 ha compare
- 8 Democratic Republic of the Congo 790.95 ha compare
- 8 Iraq 93,236 ha compare
- 9 Namibia 57,442 ha compare
- 10 Argentina 50,441 ha compare
More climate change data for Southern Africa
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 48,717 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,474 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 32,243 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 62.17 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,152 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,709 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,306 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 402.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 20.02 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 14.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is closed and open shrubland — burned area in Southern Africa?
- Closed and open shrubland — burned area in Southern Africa was 1.19 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest closed and open shrubland — burned area recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 12.16 million ha in 2011.
- What is the lowest closed and open shrubland — burned area recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 331,694 ha in 2019.
- How does Southern Africa rank for closed and open shrubland — burned area?
- Southern Africa ranks 7th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is closed and open shrubland — burned area rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Southern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Closed and open shrubland — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
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.