Savanna fires — Burned Area in Africa
Africa: Savanna fires — Burned Area was 203.73 million ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Savanna fires — Burned Area in Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, savanna fires — burned area in Africa stood at 203.73 million ha.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, savanna fires — burned area in Africa peaked at 267.26 million ha in 2005 and was at its lowest, 185.15 million ha, in 2019.
That places Africa 3rd out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Savanna fires — Burned Area in Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 223.58 million ha | — |
| 1991 | 223.58 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 223.58 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 223.58 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 223.58 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 223.58 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 220.80 million ha | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 214.22 million ha | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 239.17 million ha | +11.6% |
| 1999 | 219.31 million ha | -8.3% |
| 2000 | 226.97 million ha | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 202.82 million ha | -10.6% |
| 2002 | 230.40 million ha | +13.6% |
| 2003 | 247.62 million ha | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 241.83 million ha | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 267.26 million ha | +10.5% |
| 2006 | 236.46 million ha | -11.5% |
| 2007 | 248.80 million ha | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 246.27 million ha | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 223.75 million ha | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 240.13 million ha | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 244.90 million ha | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 228.67 million ha | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 223.11 million ha | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 206.78 million ha | -7.3% |
| 2015 | 210.69 million ha | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 219.87 million ha | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 204.03 million ha | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 197.44 million ha | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 185.15 million ha | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 202.96 million ha | +9.6% |
| 2021 | 208.17 million ha | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 202.64 million ha | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 199.86 million ha | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 203.73 million ha | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 223.50 million ha | 214.22 million ha | 239.17 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 237.22 million ha | 202.82 million ha | 267.26 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 216.08 million ha | 185.15 million ha | 244.90 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 203.47 million ha | 199.86 million ha | 208.17 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 1 OECD 42.37 million ha compare
- 2 Angola 35.32 million ha compare
- 3 Australia and New Zealand 34.24 million ha compare
- 4 Australia 34.24 million ha compare
- 5 Sudan (former) 31.05 million ha compare
- 6 South Sudan 24.46 million ha compare
More climate change data for Africa
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 778,093 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 263,963 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 514,131 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 996.09 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 18,362 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 114,526 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60,368 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 54,158 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 227.81 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1,934 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is savanna fires — burned area in Africa?
- Savanna fires — burned area in Africa was 203.73 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 267.26 million ha in 2005.
- What is the lowest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 185.15 million ha in 2019.
- How does Africa rank for savanna fires — burned area?
- Africa ranks 3rd out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is savanna fires — burned area rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Savanna fires — Burned Area. 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).
About this data
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.