Savanna fires — Burning crop residues in South Africa
South Africa: Savanna fires — Burning crop residues was 21.41 million t in 2024. ▼ Falling
Savanna fires — Burning crop residues in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
The most recent figure for savanna fires — burning crop residues in South Africa is 21.41 million t, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 38.5% on the previous year and up 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, savanna fires — burning crop residues in South Africa peaked at 34.83 million t in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.96 million t, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 17th of 221 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Savanna fires — Burning crop residues in South Africa, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 21.04 million t | — |
| 1991 | 21.04 million t | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 21.04 million t | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 21.04 million t | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 21.04 million t | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 21.04 million t | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 24.14 million t | +14.7% |
| 1997 | 22.97 million t | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 27.26 million t | +18.7% |
| 1999 | 25.18 million t | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 23.43 million t | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 20.40 million t | -13.0% |
| 2002 | 30.24 million t | +48.2% |
| 2003 | 18.84 million t | -37.7% |
| 2004 | 14.65 million t | -22.3% |
| 2005 | 24.48 million t | +67.1% |
| 2006 | 16.85 million t | -31.1% |
| 2007 | 19.43 million t | +15.3% |
| 2008 | 19.53 million t | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 21.75 million t | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 24.02 million t | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 22.62 million t | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 24.28 million t | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 17.99 million t | -25.9% |
| 2014 | 17.63 million t | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 13.85 million t | -21.4% |
| 2016 | 9.96 million t | -28.1% |
| 2017 | 17.55 million t | +76.2% |
| 2018 | 16.84 million t | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 12.83 million t | -23.8% |
| 2020 | 13.46 million t | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 31.66 million t | +135.2% |
| 2022 | 22.09 million t | -30.2% |
| 2023 | 34.83 million t | +57.6% |
| 2024 | 21.41 million t | -38.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 21.41 million t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67,599 t, 316.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 21.41 million t is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.21 million t, 4.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Savanna fires — Burning crop residues 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +135.2% | 13.46 million t | 31.66 million t |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.58 million t | 21.04 million t | 27.26 million t | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.96 million t | 14.65 million t | 30.24 million t | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.76 million t | 9.96 million t | 24.28 million t | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.69 million t | 13.46 million t | 34.83 million t | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 14 Chad 24.91 million t compare
- 14 Türkiye 248,271 t compare
- 15 Ghana 23.80 million t compare
- 15 Timor-Leste 17,695 t compare
- 16 Congo 23.00 million t compare
- 16 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 5,313 t compare
- 17 Republic of Moldova 2,471 t compare
- 18 Guinea 21.40 million t compare
- 18 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 t
- 18 Wallis and Futuna Islands 0 t
- 18 Micronesia 0 t
- 18 Polynesia 0 t
- 19 Ethiopia 21.34 million t compare
- 20 Nigeria 20.45 million t compare
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 — burning crop residues in South Africa?
- Savanna fires — burning crop residues in South Africa was 21.41 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest savanna fires — burning crop residues recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 34.83 million t in 2023.
- What is the lowest savanna fires — burning crop residues recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.96 million t in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for savanna fires — burning crop residues?
- South Africa ranks 17th out of 221 countries with data for 2024.
- Is savanna fires — burning crop residues rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 — Burning crop residues (Biomass burned, dry matter). 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.