Savanna fires — Burned Area in Botswana

Botswana: Savanna fires — Burned Area was 2.17 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.17 million ha
Change on year
down 79.5%
World rank
25th
of 216 countries
All-time high
16.48 million ha
in 2011
All-time low
1.11 million ha
in 2019
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna fires — Burned Area in Botswana, 1990–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M1990200720241990: 5.7M ha1991: 5.7M ha1992: 5.7M ha1993: 5.7M ha1994: 5.7M ha1995: 5.7M ha1996: 8.7M ha1997: 7.7M ha1998: 6.7M ha1999: 6.3M ha2000: 5.9M ha2001: 7.7M ha2002: 8.1M ha2003: 1.4M ha2004: 1.8M ha2005: 2.8M ha2006: 5.2M ha2007: 2.8M ha2008: 11.0M ha2009: 2.2M ha2010: 13.4M ha2011: 16.5M ha2012: 5.0M ha2013: 4.0M ha2014: 2.9M ha2015: 1.8M ha2016: 1.5M ha2017: 4.8M ha2018: 2.7M ha2019: 1.1M ha2020: 3.2M ha2021: 10.6M ha2022: 7.5M ha2023: 10.6M ha2024: 2.2M ha

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

Analysis

Botswana recorded 2.17 million ha for savanna fires — burned area in 2024.

The figure is down 79.5% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna fires — burned area in Botswana peaked at 16.48 million ha in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.11 million ha, in 2019.

That places Botswana 25th out of 216 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.37 million ha 5.72 million ha 8.66 million ha 10
2000s 4.88 million ha 1.38 million ha 10.96 million ha 10
2010s 5.35 million ha 1.11 million ha 16.48 million ha 10
2020s 6.80 million ha 2.17 million ha 10.58 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 22 Ethiopia, The Federal Democratic Republic of 3.28 million ha compare
  2. 23 Burkina Faso 3.26 million ha compare
  3. 24 Guinea 3.18 million ha compare
  4. 26 Argentina 1.60 million ha compare
  5. 27 Paraguay 1.56 million ha compare
  6. 28 Colombia 1.47 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna fires — burned area in Botswana?
Savanna fires — burned area in Botswana was 2.17 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 16.48 million ha in 2011.
What is the lowest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 1.11 million ha in 2019.
How does Botswana rank for savanna fires — burned area?
Botswana ranks 25th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
Is savanna fires — burned area rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Botswana 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.

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Savanna fires — Burned Area in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/botswana/

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About this data

Indicator
Savanna fires — 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.