Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Africa

Africa: Closed shrubland — Burned Area was 357,882 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
357,882 ha
Change on year
up 83.5%
Rank
3rd
of 31 groups
All-time high
1.89 million ha
in 1998
All-time low
195,021 ha
in 2023
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Africa, 1990–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1990200720241990: 968.3k ha1991: 968.3k ha1992: 968.3k ha1993: 968.3k ha1994: 968.3k ha1995: 968.3k ha1996: 1.2M ha1997: 1.3M ha1998: 1.9M ha1999: 1.7M ha2000: 1.2M ha2001: 1.2M ha2002: 1.0M ha2003: 1.2M ha2004: 1.4M ha2005: 1.2M ha2006: 705.3k ha2007: 864.2k ha2008: 658.8k ha2009: 798.8k ha2010: 678.3k ha2011: 1.4M ha2012: 1.3M ha2013: 719.4k ha2014: 513.4k ha2015: 511.0k ha2016: 794.8k ha2017: 694.6k ha2018: 383.6k ha2019: 310.7k ha2020: 996.6k ha2021: 663.7k ha2022: 196.4k ha2023: 195.0k ha2024: 357.9k ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

Africa recorded 357,882 ha for closed shrubland — burned area in 2024.

That represents a change of up 83.5% on the previous year and down 30.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, closed shrubland — burned area in Africa peaked at 1.89 million ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 195,021 ha, in 2023.

That places Africa 3rd out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 968,286 ha
1991 968,286 ha +0.0%
1992 968,286 ha +0.0%
1993 968,286 ha +0.0%
1994 968,286 ha +0.0%
1995 968,286 ha +0.0%
1996 1.21 million ha +24.5%
1997 1.29 million ha +6.8%
1998 1.89 million ha +46.8%
1999 1.74 million ha -7.7%
2000 1.24 million ha -29.2%
2001 1.15 million ha -6.9%
2002 1.04 million ha -9.3%
2003 1.18 million ha +13.0%
2004 1.41 million ha +19.8%
2005 1.19 million ha -15.6%
2006 705,308 ha -40.9%
2007 864,224 ha +22.5%
2008 658,817 ha -23.8%
2009 798,763 ha +21.2%
2010 678,255 ha -15.1%
2011 1.42 million ha +109.1%
2012 1.34 million ha -5.7%
2013 719,359 ha -46.2%
2014 513,407 ha -28.6%
2015 510,971 ha -0.5%
2016 794,777 ha +55.5%
2017 694,606 ha -12.6%
2018 383,597 ha -44.8%
2019 310,685 ha -19.0%
2020 996,566 ha +220.8%
2021 663,727 ha -33.4%
2022 196,366 ha -70.4%
2023 195,021 ha -0.7%
2024 357,882 ha +83.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.19 million ha 968,286 ha 1.89 million ha 10
2000s 1.02 million ha 658,817 ha 1.41 million ha 10
2010s 736,177 ha 310,685 ha 1.42 million ha 10
2020s 481,912 ha 195,021 ha 996,566 ha 5

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 OECD 330,833 ha compare
  2. 2 Australia 307,633 ha compare
  3. 2 Australia and New Zealand 307,633 ha compare
  4. 4 Angola 266,628 ha compare
  5. 5 South Africa 36,154 ha compare
  6. 6 Namibia 17,439 ha compare

See the full ranking of 271 places →

More climate change data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is closed shrubland — burned area in Africa?
Closed shrubland — burned area in Africa was 357,882 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest closed shrubland — burned area recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.89 million ha in 1998.
What is the lowest closed shrubland — burned area recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 195,021 ha in 2023.
How does Africa rank for closed shrubland — burned area?
Africa ranks 3rd out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is closed shrubland — burned area rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Closed shrubland — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/closed-shrubland-burned-area-fao-tier-1/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Closed shrubland — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
271 places, 9,259 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.