Forest fires — Burned Area in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Forest fires — Burned Area was 72,325 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Burned Area in Southern Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
Southern Africa recorded 72,325 ha for forest fires — burned area in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 303.6% on the previous year and up 58.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Southern Africa peaked at 293,607 ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 12,324 ha, in 2022.
Southern Africa ranks 21st of 31 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Forest fires — Burned Area in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 64,723 ha | — |
| 1991 | 64,723 ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 64,723 ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 64,723 ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 64,723 ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 64,723 ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 172,188 ha | +166.0% |
| 1997 | 166,948 ha | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 293,607 ha | +75.9% |
| 1999 | 197,893 ha | -32.6% |
| 2000 | 74,428 ha | -62.4% |
| 2001 | 23,062 ha | -69.0% |
| 2002 | 19,980 ha | -13.4% |
| 2003 | 49,226 ha | +146.4% |
| 2004 | 21,178 ha | -57.0% |
| 2005 | 70,384 ha | +232.4% |
| 2006 | 21,154 ha | -69.9% |
| 2007 | 99,861 ha | +372.1% |
| 2008 | 61,269 ha | -38.6% |
| 2009 | 25,042 ha | -59.1% |
| 2010 | 40,677 ha | +62.4% |
| 2011 | 34,691 ha | -14.7% |
| 2012 | 35,058 ha | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 34,000 ha | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 45,632 ha | +34.2% |
| 2015 | 21,903 ha | -52.0% |
| 2016 | 26,995 ha | +23.2% |
| 2017 | 36,291 ha | +34.4% |
| 2018 | 85,809 ha | +136.4% |
| 2019 | 44,728 ha | -47.9% |
| 2020 | 34,101 ha | -23.8% |
| 2021 | 24,866 ha | -27.1% |
| 2022 | 12,324 ha | -50.4% |
| 2023 | 17,919 ha | +45.4% |
| 2024 | 72,325 ha | +303.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 121,897 ha | 64,723 ha | 293,607 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 46,558 ha | 19,980 ha | 99,861 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 40,578 ha | 21,903 ha | 85,809 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 32,307 ha | 12,324 ha | 72,325 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
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 forest fires — burned area in Southern Africa?
- Forest fires — burned area in Southern Africa was 72,325 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 293,607 ha in 1998.
- What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,324 ha in 2022.
- How does Southern Africa rank for forest fires — burned area?
- Southern Africa ranks 21st out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.5%. 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 Forest fires — 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.