Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Africa

Africa: Humid tropical forest — Burned Area was 11.96 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
11.96 million ha
Change on year
up 9.4%
Rank
5th
of 31 groups
All-time high
19.01 million ha
in 2011
All-time low
5.19 million ha
in 2000
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Africa, 1990–2024

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1990200720241990: 14.2M ha1991: 14.2M ha1992: 14.2M ha1993: 14.2M ha1994: 14.2M ha1995: 14.2M ha1996: 5.5M ha1997: 6.1M ha1998: 7.6M ha1999: 6.7M ha2000: 5.2M ha2001: 11.7M ha2002: 12.4M ha2003: 16.9M ha2004: 16.2M ha2005: 18.3M ha2006: 16.2M ha2007: 16.2M ha2008: 17.0M ha2009: 15.4M ha2010: 18.4M ha2011: 19.0M ha2012: 18.6M ha2013: 17.0M ha2014: 15.9M ha2015: 17.2M ha2016: 17.9M ha2017: 18.3M ha2018: 15.5M ha2019: 16.8M ha2020: 15.7M ha2021: 14.5M ha2022: 13.0M ha2023: 10.9M ha2024: 12.0M ha

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for humid tropical forest — burned area in Africa is 11.96 million ha, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.4% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, humid tropical forest — burned area in Africa peaked at 19.01 million ha in 2011 and was at its lowest, 5.19 million ha, in 2000.

Africa ranks 5th of 31 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 14.18 million ha
1991 14.18 million ha +0.0%
1992 14.18 million ha +0.0%
1993 14.18 million ha +0.0%
1994 14.18 million ha +0.0%
1995 14.18 million ha +0.0%
1996 5.48 million ha -61.4%
1997 6.07 million ha +10.9%
1998 7.59 million ha +24.9%
1999 6.72 million ha -11.5%
2000 5.19 million ha -22.8%
2001 11.71 million ha +125.8%
2002 12.40 million ha +5.9%
2003 16.86 million ha +35.9%
2004 16.21 million ha -3.8%
2005 18.28 million ha +12.7%
2006 16.18 million ha -11.5%
2007 16.21 million ha +0.2%
2008 17.04 million ha +5.2%
2009 15.35 million ha -9.9%
2010 18.36 million ha +19.6%
2011 19.01 million ha +3.5%
2012 18.61 million ha -2.1%
2013 17.04 million ha -8.4%
2014 15.93 million ha -6.6%
2015 17.18 million ha +7.9%
2016 17.95 million ha +4.4%
2017 18.28 million ha +1.8%
2018 15.47 million ha -15.4%
2019 16.78 million ha +8.5%
2020 15.75 million ha -6.2%
2021 14.46 million ha -8.2%
2022 12.96 million ha -10.4%
2023 10.93 million ha -15.7%
2024 11.96 million ha +9.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.09 million ha 5.48 million ha 14.18 million ha 10
2000s 14.54 million ha 5.19 million ha 18.28 million ha 10
2010s 17.46 million ha 15.47 million ha 19.01 million ha 10
2020s 13.21 million ha 10.93 million ha 15.75 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 2 Zambia 2.66 million ha compare
  2. 3 Central African Republic 2.29 million ha compare
  3. 4 Angola 1.76 million ha compare
  4. 5 Myanmar 996,881 ha compare
  5. 6 Mozambique 613,112 ha compare
  6. 7 Nepal 323,113 ha compare
  7. 8 Cambodia 312,392 ha compare

See the full ranking of 270 places →

More climate change data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is humid tropical forest — burned area in Africa?
Humid tropical forest — burned area in Africa was 11.96 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest humid tropical forest — burned area recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 19.01 million ha in 2011.
What is the lowest humid tropical forest — burned area recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 5.19 million ha in 2000.
How does Africa rank for humid tropical forest — burned area?
Africa ranks 5th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is humid tropical forest — burned area rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. 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 Humid tropical forest — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/humid-tropical-forest-burned-area-fao-tier-1/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Humid tropical forest — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
270 places, 9,224 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.