Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Western Africa

Western Africa: Humid tropical forest — Burned Area was 141,619 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
141,619 ha
Change on year
up 38.8%
Rank
13th
of 31 groups
All-time high
1.28 million ha
in 1998
All-time low
51,416 ha
in 2018
Years of data
35
1990–2024

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

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1990200720241990: 337.6k ha1991: 337.6k ha1992: 337.6k ha1993: 337.6k ha1994: 337.6k ha1995: 337.6k ha1996: 863.8k ha1997: 849.7k ha1998: 1.3M ha1999: 1.1M ha2000: 1.0M ha2001: 323.7k ha2002: 161.9k ha2003: 251.3k ha2004: 142.3k ha2005: 191.3k ha2006: 267.6k ha2007: 221.5k ha2008: 199.4k ha2009: 257.3k ha2010: 136.4k ha2011: 149.1k ha2012: 239.0k ha2013: 233.6k ha2014: 243.3k ha2015: 396.9k ha2016: 156.1k ha2017: 87.6k ha2018: 51.4k ha2019: 152.2k ha2020: 271.6k ha2021: 99.6k ha2022: 100.4k ha2023: 102.1k ha2024: 141.6k 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 Western Africa is 141,619 ha, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 38.8% on the previous year and down 41.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, humid tropical forest — burned area in Western Africa peaked at 1.28 million ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 51,416 ha, in 2018.

That places Western Africa 13th 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.

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

Annual values for Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Western Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 337,586 ha
1991 337,586 ha +0.0%
1992 337,586 ha +0.0%
1993 337,586 ha +0.0%
1994 337,586 ha +0.0%
1995 337,586 ha +0.0%
1996 863,818 ha +155.9%
1997 849,726 ha -1.6%
1998 1.28 million ha +50.7%
1999 1.11 million ha -13.3%
2000 1.01 million ha -9.1%
2001 323,735 ha -67.9%
2002 161,924 ha -50.0%
2003 251,315 ha +55.2%
2004 142,295 ha -43.4%
2005 191,287 ha +34.4%
2006 267,614 ha +39.9%
2007 221,464 ha -17.2%
2008 199,404 ha -10.0%
2009 257,317 ha +29.0%
2010 136,444 ha -47.0%
2011 149,074 ha +9.3%
2012 238,965 ha +60.3%
2013 233,568 ha -2.3%
2014 243,312 ha +4.2%
2015 396,870 ha +63.1%
2016 156,058 ha -60.7%
2017 87,624 ha -43.9%
2018 51,416 ha -41.3%
2019 152,162 ha +195.9%
2020 271,626 ha +78.5%
2021 99,557 ha -63.3%
2022 100,365 ha +0.8%
2023 102,051 ha +1.7%
2024 141,619 ha +38.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 613,119 ha 337,586 ha 1.28 million ha 10
2000s 302,636 ha 142,295 ha 1.01 million ha 10
2010s 184,549 ha 51,416 ha 396,870 ha 10
2020s 143,044 ha 99,557 ha 271,626 ha 5

Countries ranked near Western Africa

  1. 10 Sudan (former) 274,784 ha compare
  2. 10 Viet Nam 28,063 ha compare
  3. 11 Thailand 226,406 ha compare
  4. 12 India 185,116 ha compare
  5. 12 Timor-Leste 0 ha compare
  6. 12 Türkiye 0 ha
  7. 13 OECD 179,293 ha compare
  8. 14 Mexico 175,141 ha compare
  9. 15 Congo 164,978 ha compare
  10. 16 Honduras 107,375 ha compare

See the full ranking of 270 places →

More climate change data for Western Africa

All data for Western Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is humid tropical forest — burned area in Western Africa?
Humid tropical forest — burned area in Western Africa was 141,619 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest humid tropical forest — burned area recorded in Western Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.28 million ha in 1998.
What is the lowest humid tropical forest — burned area recorded in Western Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 51,416 ha in 2018.
How does Western Africa rank for humid tropical forest — burned area?
Western Africa ranks 13th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is humid tropical forest — burned area rising or falling in Western Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 41.8%. 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 Humid tropical forest — 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Western Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/humid-tropical-forest-burned-area-fao-tier-1/western-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/humid-tropical-forest-burned-area-fao-tier-1/western-africa/">Humid tropical forest — Burned Area in Western Africa</a> — Statizoid

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.