South Africa vs United States: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region
South Africa
2.59 million hectares
in 2025
United States
2.56 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa rank
27th
United States rank
28th
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.59 million hectares against 2.56 million hectares in United States, a difference of 26,830 hectares.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 27th and United States ranks 28th of 225 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.21 million hectares | 3.40 million hectares | 807,451 hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.44 million hectares | 3.24 million hectares | 203,065 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 4.09 million hectares | 3.44 million hectares | 643,590 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, South Africa or United States?
- South Africa, at 2.59 million hectares against 2.56 million hectares in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires by region between South Africa and United States?
- 26,830 hectares, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires by region?
- South Africa ranks 27th and United States ranks 28th 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.