Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Middle Africa

Middle Africa: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area was 62.18 million ha in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
62.18 million ha
Change on year
up 11.6%
Rank
2nd
of 22 groups
All-time high
81.54 million ha
in 1998
All-time low
53.86 million ha
in 2001
Years of data
35
1990–2024

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

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M1990200720241990: 65.5M ha1991: 65.5M ha1992: 65.5M ha1993: 65.5M ha1994: 65.5M ha1995: 65.5M ha1996: 78.5M ha1997: 76.3M ha1998: 81.5M ha1999: 73.1M ha2000: 80.8M ha2001: 53.9M ha2002: 60.3M ha2003: 73.5M ha2004: 68.9M ha2005: 70.7M ha2006: 70.4M ha2007: 65.0M ha2008: 68.4M ha2009: 62.3M ha2010: 66.0M ha2011: 64.4M ha2012: 58.7M ha2013: 61.1M ha2014: 58.7M ha2015: 60.5M ha2016: 63.7M ha2017: 63.0M ha2018: 57.5M ha2019: 60.7M ha2020: 60.0M ha2021: 60.4M ha2022: 61.8M ha2023: 55.7M ha2024: 62.2M ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Middle Africa stood at 62.18 million ha.

The figure is up 11.6% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Middle Africa peaked at 81.54 million ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 53.86 million ha, in 2001.

Middle Africa ranks 2nd of 22 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

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

Annual values for Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Middle Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 65.45 million ha
1991 65.45 million ha +0.0%
1992 65.45 million ha +0.0%
1993 65.45 million ha +0.0%
1994 65.45 million ha +0.0%
1995 65.45 million ha +0.0%
1996 78.53 million ha +20.0%
1997 76.31 million ha -2.8%
1998 81.54 million ha +6.9%
1999 73.12 million ha -10.3%
2000 80.81 million ha +10.5%
2001 53.86 million ha -33.3%
2002 60.27 million ha +11.9%
2003 73.50 million ha +22.0%
2004 68.93 million ha -6.2%
2005 70.68 million ha +2.5%
2006 70.35 million ha -0.5%
2007 65.04 million ha -7.6%
2008 68.45 million ha +5.2%
2009 62.34 million ha -8.9%
2010 66.05 million ha +5.9%
2011 64.42 million ha -2.5%
2012 58.72 million ha -8.9%
2013 61.10 million ha +4.1%
2014 58.71 million ha -3.9%
2015 60.48 million ha +3.0%
2016 63.69 million ha +5.3%
2017 62.96 million ha -1.1%
2018 57.48 million ha -8.7%
2019 60.72 million ha +5.6%
2020 59.99 million ha -1.2%
2021 60.35 million ha +0.6%
2022 61.80 million ha +2.4%
2023 55.70 million ha -9.9%
2024 62.18 million ha +11.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 70.22 million ha 65.45 million ha 81.54 million ha 10
2000s 67.42 million ha 53.86 million ha 80.81 million ha 10
2010s 61.43 million ha 57.48 million ha 66.05 million ha 10
2020s 60.00 million ha 55.70 million ha 62.18 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Middle Africa

  1. 1 Angola 21.50 million ha compare
  2. 2 Sudan (former) 16.57 million ha compare
  3. 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 27.74 million ha compare
  4. 3 South Sudan 16.10 million ha compare
  5. 4 United Republic of Tanzania 4.63 million ha compare
  6. 4 Zambia 15.21 million ha compare
  7. 5 Mozambique 12.47 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Middle Africa

All data for Middle Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Middle Africa?
Savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Middle Africa was 62.18 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 Middle Africa?
The highest recorded value was 81.54 million ha in 1998.
What is the lowest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Middle Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 53.86 million ha in 2001.
How does Middle Africa rank for savanna and woody savanna — burned area?
Middle Africa ranks 2nd out of 22 groups with data for 2024.
Is savanna and woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Middle Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Middle 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 Middle Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/middle-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.