Savanna fires — Burned Area, per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Savanna fires — Burned Area, per capita was 0.0676 ha per person in 2024. ▼ Falling
Savanna fires — Burned Area, per capita in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in ha per person.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.0676 ha per person for savanna fires — burned area, per capita in 2024.
That represents a change of down 20.0% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, savanna fires — burned area, per capita in South Africa peaked at 0.1017 ha per person in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.0261 ha per person, in 2016.
That places South Africa 30th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Savanna fires — Burned Area, per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | ha per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0872 ha per person | — |
| 1991 | 0.0852 ha per person | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 0.0837 ha per person | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 0.0821 ha per person | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 0.0808 ha per person | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 0.0798 ha per person | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 0.0726 ha per person | -9.0% |
| 1997 | 0.0673 ha per person | -7.4% |
| 1998 | 0.0789 ha per person | +17.3% |
| 1999 | 0.0726 ha per person | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 0.0712 ha per person | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 0.08 ha per person | +12.3% |
| 2002 | 0.1017 ha per person | +27.1% |
| 2003 | 0.0696 ha per person | -31.6% |
| 2004 | 0.0588 ha per person | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 0.0954 ha per person | +62.4% |
| 2006 | 0.0683 ha per person | -28.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0746 ha per person | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 0.0743 ha per person | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.0728 ha per person | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0817 ha per person | +12.2% |
| 2011 | 0.0766 ha per person | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 0.0699 ha per person | -8.7% |
| 2013 | 0.0655 ha per person | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0645 ha per person | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.0443 ha per person | -31.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0261 ha per person | -41.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0489 ha per person | +87.5% |
| 2018 | 0.0491 ha per person | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0438 ha per person | -10.7% |
| 2020 | 0.045 ha per person | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 0.0772 ha per person | +71.5% |
| 2022 | 0.0505 ha per person | -34.7% |
| 2023 | 0.0846 ha per person | +67.6% |
| 2024 | 0.0676 ha per person | -20.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.0676 ha per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0013 ha per person, 52.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.0676 ha per person is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.062 ha per person, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Savanna fires — Burned Area, per capita in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +87.5% | 0.0261 ha per person | 0.0489 ha per person |
| 2021 | +71.5% | 0.045 ha per person | 0.0772 ha per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.079 ha per person | 0.0673 ha per person | 0.0872 ha per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0767 ha per person | 0.0588 ha per person | 0.1017 ha per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.057 ha per person | 0.0261 ha per person | 0.0817 ha per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.065 ha per person | 0.045 ha per person | 0.0846 ha per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 717.27 million kg (2050)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is savanna fires — burned area, per capita in South Africa?
- Savanna fires — burned area, per capita in South Africa was 0.0676 ha per person in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest savanna fires — burned area, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1017 ha per person in 2002.
- What is the lowest savanna fires — burned area, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0261 ha per person in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for savanna fires — burned area, per capita?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is savanna fires — burned area, per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Savanna fires — Burned Area, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Savanna fires — Burned Area divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Savanna fires — Burned Area ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Savanna fires — Burned Area Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Savanna fires — Burned Area divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.