Savanna fires — Emissions in Africa

Africa: Savanna fires — Emissions was 2,936 kt in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
2,936 kt
Change on year
down 0.9%
Rank
3rd
of 31 groups
All-time high
3,874 kt
in 2005
All-time low
2,685 kt
in 2019
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna fires — Emissions in Africa, 1990–2024

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1990200720241990: 3.3k kt1991: 3.3k kt1992: 3.3k kt1993: 3.3k kt1994: 3.3k kt1995: 3.3k kt1996: 3.4k kt1997: 3.3k kt1998: 3.7k kt1999: 3.4k kt2000: 3.5k kt2001: 3.0k kt2002: 3.4k kt2003: 3.6k kt2004: 3.5k kt2005: 3.9k kt2006: 3.4k kt2007: 3.6k kt2008: 3.6k kt2009: 3.3k kt2010: 3.6k kt2011: 3.7k kt2012: 3.4k kt2013: 3.3k kt2014: 3.0k kt2015: 3.1k kt2016: 3.2k kt2017: 3.0k kt2018: 2.9k kt2019: 2.7k kt2020: 3.0k kt2021: 3.1k kt2022: 3.0k kt2023: 3.0k kt2024: 2.9k kt

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

Analysis

In 2024, savanna fires — emissions in Africa stood at 2,936 kt.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna fires — emissions in Africa peaked at 3,874 kt in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2,685 kt, in 2019.

Africa ranks 3rd of 31 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Savanna fires — Emissions in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Savanna fires — Emissions (CH4) in Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year kt Change
1990 3,305 kt
1991 3,305 kt +0.0%
1992 3,305 kt +0.0%
1993 3,305 kt +0.0%
1994 3,305 kt +0.0%
1995 3,305 kt +0.0%
1996 3,375 kt +2.1%
1997 3,287 kt -2.6%
1998 3,702 kt +12.6%
1999 3,389 kt -8.4%
2000 3,490 kt +3.0%
2001 3,014 kt -13.6%
2002 3,402 kt +12.9%
2003 3,618 kt +6.3%
2004 3,504 kt -3.1%
2005 3,874 kt +10.5%
2006 3,446 kt -11.0%
2007 3,606 kt +4.7%
2008 3,631 kt +0.7%
2009 3,267 kt -10.0%
2010 3,569 kt +9.2%
2011 3,745 kt +4.9%
2012 3,421 kt -8.7%
2013 3,256 kt -4.8%
2014 2,991 kt -8.2%
2015 3,061 kt +2.4%
2016 3,198 kt +4.5%
2017 3,000 kt -6.2%
2018 2,880 kt -4.0%
2019 2,685 kt -6.8%
2020 3,001 kt +11.8%
2021 3,116 kt +3.8%
2022 3,008 kt -3.5%
2023 2,963 kt -1.5%
2024 2,936 kt -0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,358 kt 3,287 kt 3,702 kt 10
2000s 3,485 kt 3,014 kt 3,874 kt 10
2010s 3,181 kt 2,685 kt 3,745 kt 10
2020s 3,005 kt 2,936 kt 3,116 kt 5

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 1 OECD 761.04 kt compare
  2. 2 Australia and New Zealand 679.93 kt compare
  3. 3 Australia 679.92 kt compare
  4. 4 Angola 513.87 kt compare
  5. 5 Sudan (former) 439.96 kt compare
  6. 6 South Sudan 359.15 kt compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna fires — emissions in Africa?
Savanna fires — emissions in Africa was 2,936 kt in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna fires — emissions recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3,874 kt in 2005.
What is the lowest savanna fires — emissions recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2,685 kt in 2019.
How does Africa rank for savanna fires — emissions?
Africa ranks 3rd out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is savanna fires — emissions rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Savanna fires — Emissions (CH4). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Savanna fires — Emissions in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-fires-emissions-ch4-fao-tier-1/africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Savanna fires — Emissions (CH4)
Unit
kt
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.