Savanna fires — Burned Area in Botswana
Botswana: Savanna fires — Burned Area was 2.17 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Savanna fires — Burned Area in Botswana, 1990–2024
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 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 fires — Burned Area in Botswana, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.72 million ha | — |
| 1991 | 5.72 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5.72 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5.72 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5.72 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5.72 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 8.66 million ha | +51.4% |
| 1997 | 7.73 million ha | -10.6% |
| 1998 | 6.75 million ha | -12.7% |
| 1999 | 6.31 million ha | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 5.86 million ha | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 7.70 million ha | +31.5% |
| 2002 | 8.14 million ha | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 1.38 million ha | -83.1% |
| 2004 | 1.79 million ha | +30.3% |
| 2005 | 2.79 million ha | +55.6% |
| 2006 | 5.17 million ha | +84.9% |
| 2007 | 2.83 million ha | -45.3% |
| 2008 | 10.96 million ha | +287.7% |
| 2009 | 2.17 million ha | -80.2% |
| 2010 | 13.35 million ha | +516.2% |
| 2011 | 16.48 million ha | +23.4% |
| 2012 | 4.95 million ha | -69.9% |
| 2013 | 4.03 million ha | -18.7% |
| 2014 | 2.85 million ha | -29.3% |
| 2015 | 1.81 million ha | -36.4% |
| 2016 | 1.46 million ha | -19.4% |
| 2017 | 4.78 million ha | +226.9% |
| 2018 | 2.72 million ha | -43.0% |
| 2019 | 1.11 million ha | -59.2% |
| 2020 | 3.22 million ha | +189.2% |
| 2021 | 10.56 million ha | +228.3% |
| 2022 | 7.50 million ha | -29.0% |
| 2023 | 10.58 million ha | +41.0% |
| 2024 | 2.17 million ha | -79.5% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 2.17 million ha is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14,618 ha, 148.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 2.17 million ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 874,766 ha, 2.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Savanna fires — Burned Area in Botswana 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +516.2% | 2.17 million ha | 13.35 million ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More climate change data for Botswana
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 17.55 million kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,640 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3,846 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 6.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 137.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 17.36 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 14.07 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0531 kt (2050)
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 221 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.
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.