Woody savanna — Burned Area in Africa
Africa: Woody savanna — Burned Area was 17.23 million ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Woody savanna — Burned Area in Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, woody savanna — burned area in Africa stood at 17.23 million ha.
The figure is up 14.7% on the previous year and up 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, woody savanna — burned area in Africa peaked at 103.56 million ha in 1998 and was at its lowest, 12.70 million ha, in 2018.
Africa ranks 4th of 31 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Woody savanna — Burned Area in Africa, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 29.33 million ha | — |
| 1991 | 29.33 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 29.33 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 29.33 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 29.33 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 29.33 million ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 101.89 million ha | +247.4% |
| 1997 | 97.21 million ha | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 103.56 million ha | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 94.70 million ha | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 98.85 million ha | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 14.76 million ha | -85.1% |
| 2002 | 18.11 million ha | +22.6% |
| 2003 | 21.57 million ha | +19.1% |
| 2004 | 19.42 million ha | -9.9% |
| 2005 | 19.32 million ha | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 18.68 million ha | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 17.33 million ha | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 17.99 million ha | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 16.38 million ha | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 16.60 million ha | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 14.92 million ha | -10.1% |
| 2012 | 14.20 million ha | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 15.16 million ha | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 14.73 million ha | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 16.28 million ha | +10.5% |
| 2016 | 15.96 million ha | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 14.87 million ha | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 12.70 million ha | -14.6% |
| 2019 | 15.15 million ha | +19.3% |
| 2020 | 14.53 million ha | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 15.24 million ha | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 16.48 million ha | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 15.03 million ha | -8.8% |
| 2024 | 17.23 million ha | +14.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.33 million ha | 29.33 million ha | 103.56 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.24 million ha | 14.76 million ha | 98.85 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.06 million ha | 12.70 million ha | 16.60 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.70 million ha | 14.53 million ha | 17.23 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 1 Angola 5.00 million ha compare
- 2 Russian Federation 3.45 million ha compare
- 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.23 million ha compare
- 3 OECD 3.33 million ha compare
- 4 Zambia 3.30 million ha compare
- 5 Canada 2.22 million ha compare
- 6 Brazil 1.50 million ha compare
- 7 Mozambique 1.48 million ha compare
More climate change data for Africa
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 778,093 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 263,963 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 514,131 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 996.09 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 18,362 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 114,526 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60,368 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 54,158 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 227.81 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1,934 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is woody savanna — burned area in Africa?
- Woody savanna — burned area in Africa was 17.23 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest woody savanna — burned area recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 103.56 million ha in 1998.
- What is the lowest woody savanna — burned area recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.70 million ha in 2018.
- How does Africa rank for woody savanna — burned area?
- Africa ranks 4th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Woody savanna — 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.