Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Eastern Africa

Eastern Africa: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area was 52.31 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
52.31 million ha
Change on year
up 7.2%
Rank
6th
of 31 groups
All-time high
61.94 million ha
in 1998
All-time low
36.99 million ha
in 2001
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Eastern Africa, 1990–2024

020.0M40.0M60.0M1990200720241990: 44.1M ha1991: 44.1M ha1992: 44.1M ha1993: 44.1M ha1994: 44.1M ha1995: 44.1M ha1996: 56.3M ha1997: 53.1M ha1998: 61.9M ha1999: 55.6M ha2000: 49.1M ha2001: 37.0M ha2002: 43.3M ha2003: 49.6M ha2004: 45.2M ha2005: 51.0M ha2006: 40.5M ha2007: 46.1M ha2008: 46.4M ha2009: 42.1M ha2010: 46.2M ha2011: 41.1M ha2012: 60.4M ha2013: 59.0M ha2014: 57.0M ha2015: 59.0M ha2016: 58.6M ha2017: 53.4M ha2018: 56.9M ha2019: 49.3M ha2020: 53.5M ha2021: 50.5M ha2022: 53.0M ha2023: 48.8M ha2024: 52.3M ha

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

Analysis

Eastern Africa recorded 52.31 million ha for savanna and woody savanna — burned area in 2024.

The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Eastern Africa peaked at 61.94 million ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 36.99 million ha, in 2001.

That places Eastern Africa 6th out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Eastern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Eastern Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 44.10 million ha
1991 44.10 million ha +0.0%
1992 44.10 million ha +0.0%
1993 44.10 million ha +0.0%
1994 44.10 million ha +0.0%
1995 44.10 million ha +0.0%
1996 56.29 million ha +27.6%
1997 53.06 million ha -5.7%
1998 61.94 million ha +16.7%
1999 55.58 million ha -10.3%
2000 49.12 million ha -11.6%
2001 36.99 million ha -24.7%
2002 43.27 million ha +17.0%
2003 49.63 million ha +14.7%
2004 45.16 million ha -9.0%
2005 51.03 million ha +13.0%
2006 40.53 million ha -20.6%
2007 46.13 million ha +13.8%
2008 46.36 million ha +0.5%
2009 42.12 million ha -9.2%
2010 46.20 million ha +9.7%
2011 41.15 million ha -10.9%
2012 60.43 million ha +46.9%
2013 59.02 million ha -2.3%
2014 56.97 million ha -3.5%
2015 59.01 million ha +3.6%
2016 58.59 million ha -0.7%
2017 53.42 million ha -8.8%
2018 56.88 million ha +6.5%
2019 49.31 million ha -13.3%
2020 53.48 million ha +8.5%
2021 50.53 million ha -5.5%
2022 53.04 million ha +5.0%
2023 48.82 million ha -8.0%
2024 52.31 million ha +7.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 49.15 million ha 44.10 million ha 61.94 million ha 10
2000s 45.03 million ha 36.99 million ha 51.03 million ha 10
2010s 54.10 million ha 41.15 million ha 60.43 million ha 10
2020s 51.63 million ha 48.82 million ha 53.48 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Eastern Africa

  1. 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 27.74 million ha compare
  2. 3 South Sudan 16.10 million ha compare
  3. 4 United Republic of Tanzania 4.63 million ha compare
  4. 4 Zambia 15.21 million ha compare
  5. 5 Mozambique 12.47 million ha compare
  6. 6 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 3.40 million ha compare
  7. 6 Brazil 10.74 million ha compare
  8. 7 Central African Republic 9.64 million ha compare
  9. 7 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 2.14 million ha compare
  10. 8 OECD 8.36 million ha compare
  11. 9 Lao People's Democratic Republic 499,399 ha compare
  12. 9 Russian Federation 6.20 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Eastern Africa

All data for Eastern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Eastern Africa?
Savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Eastern Africa was 52.31 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Eastern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 61.94 million ha in 1998.
What is the lowest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Eastern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 36.99 million ha in 2001.
How does Eastern Africa rank for savanna and woody savanna — burned area?
Eastern Africa ranks 6th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is savanna and woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Eastern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Eastern Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Eastern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/eastern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
274 places, 9,364 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.