Grassland — Burning crop residues in South Africa

South Africa: Grassland — Burning crop residues was 16.59 million t in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
16.59 million t
Change on year
down 10.0%
World rank
14th
of 220 countries
All-time high
19.08 million t
in 2005
All-time low
4.18 million t
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Grassland — Burning crop residues in South Africa, 1990–2024

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1990200720241990: 11.9M t1991: 11.9M t1992: 11.9M t1993: 11.9M t1994: 11.9M t1995: 11.9M t1996: 4.3M t1997: 4.2M t1998: 4.5M t1999: 4.2M t2000: 5.3M t2001: 14.9M t2002: 17.8M t2003: 12.2M t2004: 11.8M t2005: 19.1M t2006: 14.0M t2007: 14.4M t2008: 15.3M t2009: 14.0M t2010: 16.3M t2011: 15.6M t2012: 12.7M t2013: 13.9M t2014: 14.4M t2015: 9.6M t2016: 4.7M t2017: 10.0M t2018: 10.3M t2019: 10.2M t2020: 10.6M t2021: 16.0M t2022: 10.1M t2023: 18.4M t2024: 16.6M t

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 16.59 million t for grassland — burning crop residues in 2024.

The figure is down 10.0% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, grassland — burning crop residues in South Africa peaked at 19.08 million t in 2005 and was at its lowest, 4.18 million t, in 1997.

That places South Africa 14th out of 220 countries 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 — Burning crop residues in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Grassland — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter) in South Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year t Change
1990 11.91 million t
1991 11.91 million t +0.0%
1992 11.91 million t +0.0%
1993 11.91 million t +0.0%
1994 11.91 million t +0.0%
1995 11.91 million t +0.0%
1996 4.34 million t -63.6%
1997 4.18 million t -3.5%
1998 4.55 million t +8.7%
1999 4.22 million t -7.2%
2000 5.28 million t +25.3%
2001 14.87 million t +181.5%
2002 17.82 million t +19.9%
2003 12.24 million t -31.3%
2004 11.76 million t -4.0%
2005 19.08 million t +62.2%
2006 14.05 million t -26.4%
2007 14.39 million t +2.4%
2008 15.33 million t +6.5%
2009 13.99 million t -8.7%
2010 16.26 million t +16.2%
2011 15.62 million t -3.9%
2012 12.66 million t -18.9%
2013 13.91 million t +9.9%
2014 14.39 million t +3.5%
2015 9.61 million t -33.2%
2016 4.68 million t -51.3%
2017 10.03 million t +114.5%
2018 10.33 million t +2.9%
2019 10.18 million t -1.4%
2020 10.59 million t +4.1%
2021 15.96 million t +50.6%
2022 10.11 million t -36.7%
2023 18.42 million t +82.3%
2024 16.59 million t -10.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 8.88 million t 4.18 million t 11.91 million t 10
2000s 13.88 million t 5.28 million t 19.08 million t 10
2010s 11.77 million t 4.68 million t 16.26 million t 10
2020s 14.33 million t 10.11 million t 18.42 million t 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 11 Türkiye 169,681 t compare
  2. 11 Zambia 18.66 million t compare
  3. 12 Burkina Faso 16.94 million t compare
  4. 12 Viet Nam 142,884 t compare
  5. 13 Madagascar 16.90 million t compare
  6. 13 Melanesia 131,986 t compare
  7. 14 Syrian Arab Republic 18,866 t compare
  8. 15 Senegal 16.24 million t compare
  9. 15 Timor-Leste 3,694 t compare
  10. 16 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 3,613 t compare
  11. 16 Ghana 15.46 million t compare
  12. 17 Nigeria 14.98 million t compare
  13. 17 Republic of Moldova 2,471 t compare

See the full ranking of 273 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is grassland — burning crop residues in South Africa?
Grassland — burning crop residues in South Africa was 16.59 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest grassland — burning crop residues recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 19.08 million t in 2005.
What is the lowest grassland — burning crop residues recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 4.18 million t in 1997.
How does South Africa rank for grassland — burning crop residues?
South Africa ranks 14th out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
Is grassland — burning crop residues rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Grassland — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Grassland — Burning crop residues in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/grassland-burning-crop-residues-biomass-burned-dry-matter-fao-tier-1/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Grassland — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter)
Unit
t
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.