Savanna fires — Burned Area in Europe

Europe: Savanna fires — Burned Area was 8.75 million ha in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
8.75 million ha
Change on year
up 32.5%
Rank
13th
of 31 regions
All-time high
18.83 million ha
in 2003
All-time low
1.73 million ha
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna fires — Burned Area in Europe, 1990–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1990200720241990: 15.2M ha1991: 15.2M ha1992: 8.0M ha1993: 8.0M ha1994: 8.0M ha1995: 8.0M ha1996: 4.2M ha1997: 1.7M ha1998: 5.8M ha1999: 2.3M ha2000: 3.0M ha2001: 6.4M ha2002: 10.1M ha2003: 18.8M ha2004: 5.6M ha2005: 7.6M ha2006: 8.6M ha2007: 7.2M ha2008: 14.1M ha2009: 7.0M ha2010: 7.3M ha2011: 9.9M ha2012: 11.7M ha2013: 5.6M ha2014: 14.4M ha2015: 7.4M ha2016: 7.1M ha2017: 6.6M ha2018: 9.7M ha2019: 9.2M ha2020: 8.9M ha2021: 11.5M ha2022: 6.2M ha2023: 6.6M ha2024: 8.8M ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, savanna fires — burned area in Europe stood at 8.75 million ha.

That represents a change of up 32.5% on the previous year and down 39.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna fires — burned area in Europe peaked at 18.83 million ha in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.73 million ha, in 1997.

That places Europe 13th out of 31 regions with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Savanna fires — Burned Area in Europe, year by year

Annual values for Savanna fires — Burned Area in Europe, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 15.21 million ha
1991 15.21 million ha +0.0%
1992 8.04 million ha -47.2%
1993 8.04 million ha +0.0%
1994 8.04 million ha +0.0%
1995 8.04 million ha +0.0%
1996 4.18 million ha -48.0%
1997 1.73 million ha -58.5%
1998 5.78 million ha +233.7%
1999 2.29 million ha -60.4%
2000 2.96 million ha +29.3%
2001 6.45 million ha +117.6%
2002 10.10 million ha +56.6%
2003 18.83 million ha +86.5%
2004 5.57 million ha -70.4%
2005 7.63 million ha +37.0%
2006 8.57 million ha +12.4%
2007 7.22 million ha -15.8%
2008 14.13 million ha +95.7%
2009 7.01 million ha -50.4%
2010 7.26 million ha +3.5%
2011 9.87 million ha +36.0%
2012 11.75 million ha +19.0%
2013 5.59 million ha -52.4%
2014 14.38 million ha +157.3%
2015 7.37 million ha -48.8%
2016 7.14 million ha -3.1%
2017 6.59 million ha -7.7%
2018 9.66 million ha +46.5%
2019 9.19 million ha -4.9%
2020 8.88 million ha -3.3%
2021 11.51 million ha +29.6%
2022 6.23 million ha -45.9%
2023 6.61 million ha +6.0%
2024 8.75 million ha +32.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.66 million ha 1.73 million ha 15.21 million ha 10
2000s 8.85 million ha 2.96 million ha 18.83 million ha 10
2010s 8.88 million ha 5.59 million ha 14.38 million ha 10
2020s 8.40 million ha 6.23 million ha 11.51 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Europe

  1. 10 Central African Republic 11.06 million ha compare
  2. 11 Russian Federation 8.15 million ha compare
  3. 12 Mali 6.49 million ha compare
  4. 13 Sudan 5.35 million ha compare
  5. 14 Chad 4.71 million ha compare
  6. 15 South Africa 4.33 million ha compare
  7. 16 Ghana 4.17 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Europe

All data for Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna fires — burned area in Europe?
Savanna fires — burned area in Europe was 8.75 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Europe?
The highest recorded value was 18.83 million ha in 2003.
What is the lowest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 1.73 million ha in 1997.
How does Europe rank for savanna fires — burned area?
Europe ranks 13th out of 31 regions with data for 2024.
Is savanna fires — burned area rising or falling in Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Europe 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 Europe. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/europe/

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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.