Open shrubland — Burned Area in Western Africa

Western Africa: Open shrubland — Burned Area was 7,957 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
7,957 ha
Change on year
up 994.1%
Rank
21st
of 31 groups
All-time high
2.44 million ha
in 2000
All-time low
64.16 ha
in 2010
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Open shrubland — Burned Area in Western Africa, 1990–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M1990200720241990: 383.4k ha1991: 383.4k ha1992: 383.4k ha1993: 383.4k ha1994: 383.4k ha1995: 383.4k ha1996: 1.6M ha1997: 1.6M ha1998: 1.8M ha1999: 1.9M ha2000: 2.4M ha2001: 75.6k ha2002: 16.1k ha2003: 20.1k ha2004: 16.8k ha2005: 4.5k ha2006: 7.0k ha2007: 4.6k ha2008: 4.3k ha2009: 1.5k ha2010: 64.2 ha2011: 1.4k ha2012: 1.1k ha2013: 1.8k ha2014: 149.7 ha2015: 834.2 ha2016: 534.8 ha2017: 556.2 ha2018: 577.5 ha2019: 1.9k ha2020: 363.7 ha2021: 1.1k ha2022: 406.4 ha2023: 727.3 ha2024: 8.0k ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, open shrubland — burned area in Western Africa stood at 7,957 ha.

The figure is up 994.1% on the previous year and up 5,214.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, open shrubland — burned area in Western Africa peaked at 2.44 million ha in 2000 and was at its lowest, 64.16 ha, in 2010.

Western Africa ranks 21st of 31 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Open shrubland — Burned Area in Western Africa, year by year

Annual values for Open shrubland — Burned Area in Western Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 383,389 ha
1991 383,389 ha +0.0%
1992 383,389 ha +0.0%
1993 383,389 ha +0.0%
1994 383,389 ha +0.0%
1995 383,389 ha +0.0%
1996 1.59 million ha +313.7%
1997 1.61 million ha +1.2%
1998 1.80 million ha +12.0%
1999 1.87 million ha +4.1%
2000 2.44 million ha +30.4%
2001 75,592 ha -96.9%
2002 16,128 ha -78.7%
2003 20,063 ha +24.4%
2004 16,791 ha -16.3%
2005 4,535 ha -73.0%
2006 7,037 ha +55.2%
2007 4,578 ha -35.0%
2008 4,321 ha -5.6%
2009 1,455 ha -66.3%
2010 64.16 ha -95.6%
2011 1,433 ha +2133.8%
2012 1,070 ha -25.4%
2013 1,775 ha +66.0%
2014 149.74 ha -91.6%
2015 834.24 ha +457.1%
2016 534.81 ha -35.9%
2017 556.2 ha +4.0%
2018 577.53 ha +3.8%
2019 1,947 ha +237.1%
2020 363.65 ha -81.3%
2021 1,134 ha +211.7%
2022 406.44 ha -64.1%
2023 727.3 ha +78.9%
2024 7,957 ha +994.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 916,151 ha 383,389 ha 1.87 million ha 10
2000s 259,079 ha 1,455 ha 2.44 million ha 10
2010s 894.17 ha 64.16 ha 1,947 ha 10
2020s 2,118 ha 363.65 ha 7,957 ha 5

Countries ranked near Western Africa

  1. 18 Mali 7,765 ha compare
  2. 19 Ethiopia 5,386 ha compare
  3. 20 Zambia 4,748 ha compare
  4. 21 Saudi Arabia 2,809 ha compare
  5. 22 Turkmenistan 2,427 ha compare
  6. 23 Peru 2,182 ha compare
  7. 24 Kenya 2,094 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 open shrubland — burned area in Western Africa?
Open shrubland — burned area in Western Africa was 7,957 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest open shrubland — burned area recorded in Western Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.44 million ha in 2000.
What is the lowest open shrubland — burned area recorded in Western Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 64.16 ha in 2010.
How does Western Africa rank for open shrubland — burned area?
Western Africa ranks 21st out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is open shrubland — burned area rising or falling in Western Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5,214.3%. 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 Open shrubland — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Open shrubland — Burned Area in Western Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/open-shrubland-burned-area-fao-tier-1/western-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Open shrubland — 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.