Grassland — Burned Area in Africa

Africa: Grassland — Burned Area was 79.69 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
79.69 million ha
Change on year
down 2.3%
Rank
3rd
of 31 groups
All-time high
108.99 million ha
in 2005
All-time low
15.07 million ha
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Grassland — Burned Area in Africa, 1990–2024

20.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M1990200720241990: 78.1M ha1991: 78.1M ha1992: 78.1M ha1993: 78.1M ha1994: 78.1M ha1995: 78.1M ha1996: 15.4M ha1997: 15.1M ha1998: 18.3M ha1999: 19.5M ha2000: 17.0M ha2001: 82.3M ha2002: 92.2M ha2003: 92.8M ha2004: 99.7M ha2005: 109.0M ha2006: 94.7M ha2007: 104.1M ha2008: 96.7M ha2009: 87.5M ha2010: 95.9M ha2011: 98.9M ha2012: 90.9M ha2013: 88.0M ha2014: 80.3M ha2015: 79.4M ha2016: 83.1M ha2017: 75.3M ha2018: 73.5M ha2019: 66.4M ha2020: 76.0M ha2021: 82.6M ha2022: 73.7M ha2023: 81.6M ha2024: 79.7M ha

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for grassland — burned area in Africa is 79.69 million ha, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, grassland — burned area in Africa peaked at 108.99 million ha in 2005 and was at its lowest, 15.07 million ha, in 1997.

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 rising across the 35 years of available data.

Grassland — Burned Area in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Grassland — Burned Area in Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 78.06 million ha
1991 78.06 million ha +0.0%
1992 78.06 million ha +0.0%
1993 78.06 million ha +0.0%
1994 78.06 million ha +0.0%
1995 78.06 million ha +0.0%
1996 15.41 million ha -80.3%
1997 15.07 million ha -2.2%
1998 18.26 million ha +21.2%
1999 19.52 million ha +6.9%
2000 17.00 million ha -12.9%
2001 82.28 million ha +383.9%
2002 92.19 million ha +12.1%
2003 92.83 million ha +0.7%
2004 99.74 million ha +7.4%
2005 108.99 million ha +9.3%
2006 94.74 million ha -13.1%
2007 104.11 million ha +9.9%
2008 96.68 million ha -7.1%
2009 87.50 million ha -9.5%
2010 95.89 million ha +9.6%
2011 98.89 million ha +3.1%
2012 90.89 million ha -8.1%
2013 88.00 million ha -3.2%
2014 80.30 million ha -8.8%
2015 79.37 million ha -1.2%
2016 83.06 million ha +4.6%
2017 75.29 million ha -9.3%
2018 73.52 million ha -2.4%
2019 66.40 million ha -9.7%
2020 76.02 million ha +14.5%
2021 82.55 million ha +8.6%
2022 73.72 million ha -10.7%
2023 81.57 million ha +10.7%
2024 79.69 million ha -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 53.66 million ha 15.07 million ha 78.06 million ha 10
2000s 87.61 million ha 17.00 million ha 108.99 million ha 10
2010s 83.16 million ha 66.40 million ha 98.89 million ha 10
2020s 78.71 million ha 73.72 million ha 82.55 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 OECD 21.84 million ha compare
  2. 2 Australia and New Zealand 19.49 million ha compare
  3. 3 Australia 19.49 million ha compare
  4. 4 Sudan (former) 14.48 million ha compare
  5. 5 Angola 13.51 million ha compare
  6. 6 South Sudan 8.35 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 273 places →

More climate change data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is grassland — burned area in Africa?
Grassland — burned area in Africa was 79.69 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest grassland — burned area recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 108.99 million ha in 2005.
What is the lowest grassland — burned area recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 15.07 million ha in 1997.
How does Africa rank for grassland — burned area?
Africa ranks 3rd out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is grassland — burned area rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Grassland — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Grassland — Burned Area in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/grassland-burned-area-fao-tier-1/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Grassland — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
273 places, 9,329 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.