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
2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M6.0M200220132025

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.

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South Africa vs United States: Annual area burnt by wildfires by region. Statizoid, drawing on Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/annual-area-burnt-by-wildfires-gwis/south-africa/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual area burnt by wildfires by region
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
225 places, 5,400 data points, 2002–2025
Last refreshed

Total land area burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares, across all land cover types.