Forest fires — Burned Area in Western Africa
Western Africa: Forest fires — Burned Area was 141,982 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Burned Area in Western Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for forest fires — burned area in Western Africa is 141,982 ha, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 38.9% on the previous year and down 41.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Western Africa peaked at 2.13 million ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 51,502 ha, in 2018.
That places Western Africa 18th out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 Western Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 675,693 ha | — |
| 1991 | 675,693 ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 675,693 ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 675,693 ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 675,693 ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 675,693 ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.40 million ha | +107.0% |
| 1997 | 1.36 million ha | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 2.13 million ha | +56.2% |
| 1999 | 1.95 million ha | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 1.69 million ha | -13.1% |
| 2001 | 324,526 ha | -80.8% |
| 2002 | 162,480 ha | -49.9% |
| 2003 | 251,657 ha | +54.9% |
| 2004 | 142,637 ha | -43.3% |
| 2005 | 192,762 ha | +35.1% |
| 2006 | 268,747 ha | +39.4% |
| 2007 | 222,554 ha | -17.2% |
| 2008 | 199,746 ha | -10.2% |
| 2009 | 257,552 ha | +28.9% |
| 2010 | 136,872 ha | -46.9% |
| 2011 | 149,416 ha | +9.2% |
| 2012 | 244,330 ha | +63.5% |
| 2013 | 234,188 ha | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 244,252 ha | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 399,755 ha | +63.7% |
| 2016 | 156,742 ha | -60.8% |
| 2017 | 87,945 ha | -43.9% |
| 2018 | 51,502 ha | -41.4% |
| 2019 | 152,611 ha | +196.3% |
| 2020 | 272,695 ha | +78.7% |
| 2021 | 99,857 ha | -63.4% |
| 2022 | 101,199 ha | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 102,244 ha | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 141,982 ha | +38.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.09 million ha | 675,693 ha | 2.13 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 371,409 ha | 142,637 ha | 1.69 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 185,761 ha | 51,502 ha | 399,755 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 143,595 ha | 99,857 ha | 272,695 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Western Africa
- 15 South Sudan 289,236 ha compare
- 16 Sudan (former) 276,002 ha compare
- 17 Paraguay 178,192 ha compare
- 18 Congo 165,085 ha compare
- 19 Ethiopia 140,455 ha compare
- 20 Australia and New Zealand 126,361 ha compare
- 21 Australia 125,716 ha compare
More climate change data for Western Africa
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 227,102 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 79,704 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 147,398 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 300.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 5,264 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 41,728 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 14,712 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 27,017 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 55.52 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 964.89 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest fires — burned area in Western Africa?
- Forest fires — burned area in Western Africa was 141,982 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Western Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.13 million ha in 1998.
- What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Western Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 51,502 ha in 2018.
- How does Western Africa rank for forest fires — burned area?
- Western Africa ranks 18th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Western Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western 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.