What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Cameroon and South Africa?

76,240 hectares, with Cameroon ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Cameroon and South Africa?

15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.

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. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Cameroon vs South Africa: Annual area burnt by wildfires

Cameroon

1.44 million hectares

in 2026

South Africa

1.36 million hectares

in 2026

Cameroon rank

26th

South Africa rank

27th

Annual area burnt by wildfires over time

Cameroon
South Africa

How they compare

Cameroon currently reports 1.44 million hectares against 1.36 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 76,240 hectares.

That makes Cameroon's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was South Africa ahead.

Cameroon ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 27th of 248 countries.

Across the 2 decades both report, Cameroon averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Cameroon	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
2010s	3.32 million hectares	3.35 million hectares	29,944 hectares	South Africa
2020s	3.23 million hectares	2.96 million hectares	276,136 hectares	Cameroon

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires, Cameroon or South Africa?: Cameroon, at 1.44 million hectares against 1.36 million hectares in South Africa as of 2026.
What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Cameroon and South Africa?: 76,240 hectares, with Cameroon ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Cameroon and South Africa?: 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
How do Cameroon and South Africa rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?: Cameroon ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 27th of 248 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. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Cameroon vs South Africa: Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid, drawing on Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/annual-area-burnt-by-wildfires/cameroon/south-africa/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/annual-area-burnt-by-wildfires/cameroon/south-africa/">Cameroon vs South Africa: Annual area burnt by wildfires</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Annual area burnt by wildfires
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: 248 places, 3,720 data points, 2012–2026
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.