Mali vs South Africa: Annual area burnt by wildfires
Mali
1.50 million hectares
in 2026
South Africa
1.36 million hectares
in 2026
Mali rank
25th
South Africa rank
27th
Annual area burnt by wildfires over time
- Mali
- South Africa
How they compare
Mali currently reports 1.50 million hectares against 1.36 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 134,990 hectares.
That makes Mali'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.
Mali ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 27th of 248 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Mali averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mali | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.17 million hectares | 3.35 million hectares | 175,865 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.47 million hectares | 2.96 million hectares | 512,957 hectares | Mali |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires, Mali or South Africa?
- Mali, at 1.50 million hectares against 1.36 million hectares in South Africa as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Mali and South Africa?
- 134,990 hectares, with Mali ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mali and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Mali and South Africa rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Mali ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 27th of 248 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) β 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.