Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Western Africa

Western Africa: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area was 7.37 million ha in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
7.37 million ha
Change on year
up 22.8%
Rank
11th
of 31 groups
All-time high
29.23 million ha
in 2000
All-time low
6.00 million ha
in 2023
Years of data
35
1990–2024

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

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M30.0M1990200720241990: 13.2M ha1991: 13.2M ha1992: 13.2M ha1993: 13.2M ha1994: 13.2M ha1995: 13.2M ha1996: 25.7M ha1997: 25.4M ha1998: 29.0M ha1999: 25.4M ha2000: 29.2M ha2001: 9.8M ha2002: 12.2M ha2003: 13.3M ha2004: 9.9M ha2005: 16.2M ha2006: 14.0M ha2007: 12.8M ha2008: 11.4M ha2009: 10.7M ha2010: 9.7M ha2011: 10.8M ha2012: 10.9M ha2013: 11.3M ha2014: 9.0M ha2015: 9.8M ha2016: 12.7M ha2017: 9.0M ha2018: 7.3M ha2019: 7.5M ha2020: 9.5M ha2021: 6.4M ha2022: 8.4M ha2023: 6.0M ha2024: 7.4M ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Western Africa stood at 7.37 million ha.

The figure is up 22.8% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Western Africa peaked at 29.23 million ha in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.00 million ha, in 2023.

Western Africa ranks 11th of 31 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Western Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 13.24 million ha
1991 13.24 million ha +0.0%
1992 13.24 million ha +0.0%
1993 13.24 million ha +0.0%
1994 13.24 million ha +0.0%
1995 13.24 million ha +0.0%
1996 25.71 million ha +94.2%
1997 25.43 million ha -1.1%
1998 29.00 million ha +14.0%
1999 25.44 million ha -12.3%
2000 29.23 million ha +14.9%
2001 9.83 million ha -66.4%
2002 12.21 million ha +24.2%
2003 13.31 million ha +9.0%
2004 9.93 million ha -25.3%
2005 16.20 million ha +63.1%
2006 13.99 million ha -13.7%
2007 12.77 million ha -8.7%
2008 11.42 million ha -10.6%
2009 10.70 million ha -6.3%
2010 9.72 million ha -9.2%
2011 10.82 million ha +11.3%
2012 10.93 million ha +1.1%
2013 11.30 million ha +3.3%
2014 8.98 million ha -20.5%
2015 9.77 million ha +8.7%
2016 12.73 million ha +30.3%
2017 8.99 million ha -29.3%
2018 7.30 million ha -18.8%
2019 7.52 million ha +3.1%
2020 9.47 million ha +25.9%
2021 6.37 million ha -32.7%
2022 8.41 million ha +32.0%
2023 6.00 million ha -28.6%
2024 7.37 million ha +22.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 18.50 million ha 13.24 million ha 29.00 million ha 10
2000s 13.96 million ha 9.83 million ha 29.23 million ha 10
2010s 9.81 million ha 7.30 million ha 12.73 million ha 10
2020s 7.52 million ha 6.00 million ha 9.47 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Western Africa

  1. 8 OECD 8.36 million ha compare
  2. 9 Lao People's Democratic Republic 499,399 ha compare
  3. 9 Russian Federation 6.20 million ha compare
  4. 10 Canada 3.74 million ha compare
  5. 10 Viet Nam 103,642 ha compare
  6. 11 Guinea 2.73 million ha compare
  7. 11 Melanesia 83,835 ha compare
  8. 12 Türkiye 12,889 ha compare
  9. 12 Australia and New Zealand 2.73 million ha compare
  10. 13 Australia 2.73 million ha compare
  11. 13 Timor-Leste 2,330 ha compare
  12. 14 Ethiopia 2.32 million ha compare
  13. 14 Syrian Arab Republic 966.09 ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Western Africa

All data for Western Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Western Africa?
Savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Western Africa was 7.37 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 Western Africa?
The highest recorded value was 29.23 million ha in 2000.
What is the lowest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Western Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 6.00 million ha in 2023.
How does Western Africa rank for savanna and woody savanna — burned area?
Western Africa ranks 11th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is savanna and woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Western Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Western 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 Western Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/western-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.