Savanna — Burning crop residues in South Africa

South Africa: Savanna — Burning crop residues was 1.29 million t in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.29 million t
Change on year
up 108.4%
World rank
33rd
of 221 countries
All-time high
7.17 million t
in 1996
All-time low
426,760 t
in 2022
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna — Burning crop residues in South Africa, 1990–2024

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M1990200720241990: 1.7M t1991: 1.7M t1992: 1.7M t1993: 1.7M t1994: 1.7M t1995: 1.7M t1996: 7.2M t1997: 5.9M t1998: 7.2M t1999: 6.7M t2000: 6.8M t2001: 724.0k t2002: 641.6k t2003: 572.0k t2004: 460.2k t2005: 690.3k t2006: 540.2k t2007: 826.5k t2008: 854.8k t2009: 821.6k t2010: 895.7k t2011: 656.0k t2012: 1.0M t2013: 988.7k t2014: 986.1k t2015: 465.3k t2016: 485.8k t2017: 499.3k t2018: 432.8k t2019: 817.2k t2020: 492.0k t2021: 654.3k t2022: 426.8k t2023: 620.4k t2024: 1.3M t

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for savanna — burning crop residues in South Africa is 1.29 million t, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 108.4% on the previous year and up 31.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna — burning crop residues in South Africa peaked at 7.17 million t in 1996 and was at its lowest, 426,760 t, in 2022.

That places South Africa 33rd out of 221 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Savanna — Burning crop residues in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Savanna — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter) in South Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year t Change
1990 1.75 million t
1991 1.75 million t +0.0%
1992 1.75 million t +0.0%
1993 1.75 million t +0.0%
1994 1.75 million t +0.0%
1995 1.75 million t +0.0%
1996 7.17 million t +310.4%
1997 5.95 million t -17.1%
1998 7.17 million t +20.6%
1999 6.74 million t -6.1%
2000 6.81 million t +1.1%
2001 723,990 t -89.4%
2002 641,600 t -11.4%
2003 572,031 t -10.8%
2004 460,153 t -19.6%
2005 690,260 t +50.0%
2006 540,165 t -21.7%
2007 826,510 t +53.0%
2008 854,807 t +3.4%
2009 821,561 t -3.9%
2010 895,715 t +9.0%
2011 655,999 t -26.8%
2012 1.00 million t +52.8%
2013 988,735 t -1.4%
2014 986,085 t -0.3%
2015 465,291 t -52.8%
2016 485,782 t +4.4%
2017 499,294 t +2.8%
2018 432,793 t -13.3%
2019 817,153 t +88.8%
2020 492,003 t -39.8%
2021 654,342 t +33.0%
2022 426,760 t -34.8%
2023 620,420 t +45.4%
2024 1.29 million t +108.4%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 1.29 million t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,380 t, 240.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 1.29 million t is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 915,980 t, 1.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Savanna — Burning crop residues in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1996 +310.4% 1.75 million t 7.17 million t

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.75 million t 1.75 million t 7.17 million t 10
2000s 1.29 million t 460,153 t 6.81 million t 10
2010s 722,916 t 432,793 t 1.00 million t 10
2020s 697,349 t 426,760 t 1.29 million t 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 30 Sudan 1.65 million t compare
  2. 31 Cabo Verde 0 t
  3. 31 Chad 1.57 million t compare
  4. 32 Togo 1.37 million t compare
  5. 34 Zimbabwe 1.23 million t compare
  6. 35 Malawi 1.21 million t compare
  7. 36 Nicaragua 1.13 million t compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna — burning crop residues in South Africa?
Savanna — burning crop residues in South Africa was 1.29 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna — burning crop residues recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 7.17 million t in 1996.
What is the lowest savanna — burning crop residues recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 426,760 t in 2022.
How does South Africa rank for savanna — burning crop residues?
South Africa ranks 33rd out of 221 countries with data for 2024.
Is savanna — burning crop residues rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Savanna — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Savanna — Burning crop residues in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-burning-crop-residues-biomass-burned-dry-matter-fao-tier-1/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-burning-crop-residues-biomass-burned-dry-matter-fao-tier-1/south-africa/">Savanna — Burning crop residues in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Savanna — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter)
Unit
t
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.