Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Northern America

Northern America: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area was 4.51 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
4.51 million ha
Change on year
down 56.6%
Rank
14th
of 31 groups
All-time high
10.38 million ha
in 2023
All-time low
348,378 ha
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Northern America, 1990–2024

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M1990200720241990: 2.4M ha1991: 2.4M ha1992: 2.4M ha1993: 2.4M ha1994: 2.4M ha1995: 2.4M ha1996: 609.3k ha1997: 348.4k ha1998: 745.9k ha1999: 571.1k ha2000: 423.3k ha2001: 409.5k ha2002: 2.9M ha2003: 2.0M ha2004: 4.1M ha2005: 2.8M ha2006: 2.2M ha2007: 2.2M ha2008: 1.7M ha2009: 1.4M ha2010: 2.6M ha2011: 2.1M ha2012: 1.9M ha2013: 4.0M ha2014: 3.1M ha2015: 3.7M ha2016: 1.2M ha2017: 3.2M ha2018: 1.8M ha2019: 1.8M ha2020: 1.1M ha2021: 4.1M ha2022: 1.9M ha2023: 10.4M ha2024: 4.5M ha

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

Analysis

Northern America recorded 4.51 million ha for savanna and woody savanna — burned area in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 56.6% on the previous year and up 45.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Northern America peaked at 10.38 million ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 348,378 ha, in 1997.

That places Northern America 14th 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.

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Northern America, year by year

Annual values for Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Northern America, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 2.41 million ha
1991 2.41 million ha +0.0%
1992 2.41 million ha +0.0%
1993 2.41 million ha +0.0%
1994 2.41 million ha +0.0%
1995 2.41 million ha +0.0%
1996 609,272 ha -74.7%
1997 348,378 ha -42.8%
1998 745,946 ha +114.1%
1999 571,116 ha -23.4%
2000 423,258 ha -25.9%
2001 409,461 ha -3.3%
2002 2.92 million ha +612.2%
2003 2.02 million ha -30.7%
2004 4.07 million ha +101.5%
2005 2.81 million ha -31.1%
2006 2.23 million ha -20.7%
2007 2.16 million ha -3.0%
2008 1.66 million ha -22.9%
2009 1.44 million ha -13.4%
2010 2.61 million ha +81.0%
2011 2.14 million ha -18.2%
2012 1.88 million ha -11.9%
2013 3.98 million ha +111.3%
2014 3.09 million ha -22.2%
2015 3.73 million ha +20.4%
2016 1.23 million ha -66.9%
2017 3.17 million ha +157.4%
2018 1.83 million ha -42.5%
2019 1.77 million ha -3.3%
2020 1.08 million ha -39.1%
2021 4.08 million ha +279.3%
2022 1.92 million ha -52.9%
2023 10.38 million ha +440.6%
2024 4.51 million ha -56.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.67 million ha 348,378 ha 2.41 million ha 10
2000s 2.01 million ha 409,461 ha 4.07 million ha 10
2010s 2.54 million ha 1.23 million ha 3.98 million ha 10
2020s 4.39 million ha 1.08 million ha 10.38 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Northern America

  1. 11 Guinea 2.73 million ha compare
  2. 11 Melanesia 83,835 ha compare
  3. 12 Türkiye 12,889 ha compare
  4. 12 Australia and New Zealand 2.73 million ha compare
  5. 13 Australia 2.73 million ha compare
  6. 13 Timor-Leste 2,330 ha compare
  7. 14 Ethiopia 2.32 million ha compare
  8. 14 Syrian Arab Republic 966.09 ha compare
  9. 15 Congo 1.87 million ha compare
  10. 15 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 494.22 ha compare
  11. 16 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 236.24 ha compare
  12. 16 Paraguay 1.38 million ha compare
  13. 17 Ghana 1.19 million ha compare
  14. 17 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 ha
  15. 17 Republic of Moldova 0 ha compare
  16. 17 Wallis and Futuna Islands 0 ha
  17. 17 Micronesia 0 ha
  18. 17 Polynesia 0 ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Northern America

All data for Northern America →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Northern America?
Savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Northern America was 4.51 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 Northern America?
The highest recorded value was 10.38 million ha in 2023.
What is the lowest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Northern America?
The lowest recorded value was 348,378 ha in 1997.
How does Northern America rank for savanna and woody savanna — burned area?
Northern America ranks 14th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is savanna and woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Northern America?
Over the last ten years it is up 45.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Northern America 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 Northern America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/northern-america/

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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.