China vs South Africa: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region
China
2.62 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
2.59 million hectares
in 2025
China rank
25th
South Africa rank
27th
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
China currently reports 2.62 million hectares against 2.59 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 35,240 hectares.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Africa ahead.
China ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 27th of 225 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.08 million hectares | 4.21 million hectares | 1.13 million hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.44 million hectares | 3.44 million hectares | 3,856 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.76 million hectares | 4.09 million hectares | 1.33 million hectares | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires by region, China or South Africa?
- China, at 2.62 million hectares against 2.59 million hectares in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires by region between China and South Africa?
- 35,240 hectares, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- China ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 27th of 225 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual area burnt by wildfires by region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.