Savanna fires — Burned Area in South Africa
South Africa: Savanna fires — Burned Area was 4.33 million ha in 2024. ▬ Flat
Savanna fires — Burned Area in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, savanna fires — burned area in South Africa stood at 4.33 million ha.
The figure is down 19.0% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, savanna fires — burned area in South Africa peaked at 5.35 million ha in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.49 million ha, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 15th of 221 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Savanna fires — Burned Area in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.55 million ha | — |
| 1991 | 3.55 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3.55 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3.55 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3.55 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3.55 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3.28 million ha | -7.8% |
| 1997 | 3.07 million ha | -6.3% |
| 1998 | 3.65 million ha | +18.8% |
| 1999 | 3.39 million ha | -6.9% |
| 2000 | 3.36 million ha | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 3.81 million ha | +13.3% |
| 2002 | 4.88 million ha | +28.4% |
| 2003 | 3.38 million ha | -30.9% |
| 2004 | 2.88 million ha | -14.7% |
| 2005 | 4.72 million ha | +64.0% |
| 2006 | 3.42 million ha | -27.7% |
| 2007 | 3.77 million ha | +10.3% |
| 2008 | 3.80 million ha | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 3.77 million ha | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 4.28 million ha | +13.6% |
| 2011 | 4.06 million ha | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 3.76 million ha | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 3.58 million ha | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 3.59 million ha | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 2.51 million ha | -29.9% |
| 2016 | 1.49 million ha | -40.6% |
| 2017 | 2.82 million ha | +88.7% |
| 2018 | 2.88 million ha | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 2.61 million ha | -9.3% |
| 2020 | 2.73 million ha | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 4.75 million ha | +74.2% |
| 2022 | 3.15 million ha | -33.7% |
| 2023 | 5.35 million ha | +69.8% |
| 2024 | 4.33 million ha | -19.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.47 million ha | 3.07 million ha | 3.65 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.78 million ha | 2.88 million ha | 4.88 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.16 million ha | 1.49 million ha | 4.28 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.06 million ha | 2.73 million ha | 5.35 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 34,365 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,741 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 22,624 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 807.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,495 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,119 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 376.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 19.32 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 13.45 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is savanna fires — burned area in South Africa?
- Savanna fires — burned area in South Africa was 4.33 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest savanna fires — burned area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.35 million ha in 2023.
- What is the lowest savanna fires — burned area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.49 million ha in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for savanna fires — burned area?
- South Africa ranks 15th out of 221 countries with data for 2024.
- Is savanna fires — burned area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 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.