Australia vs South Sudan: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Australia
31.86 million hectares
in 2024
South Sudan
9.42 million hectares
in 2024
Australia rank
1st
South Sudan rank
3rd
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Australia
- South Sudan
How they compare
Australia currently reports 31.86 million hectares against 9.42 million hectares in South Sudan, a difference of 22.44 million hectares.
That makes Australia's figure about 3.4 times South Sudan's.
Across all 23 years both countries report, Australia has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 1st and South Sudan ranks 3rd of 225 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Sudan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.24 million hectares | 12.34 million hectares | 28.90 million hectares | Australia |
| 2010s | 41.34 million hectares | 10.53 million hectares | 30.82 million hectares | Australia |
| 2020s | 31.58 million hectares | 8.94 million hectares | 22.64 million hectares | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Australia or South Sudan?
- Australia, at 31.86 million hectares against 9.42 million hectares in South Sudan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Australia and South Sudan?
- 22.44 million hectares, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Sudan?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Sudan rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Australia ranks 1st and South Sudan ranks 3rd of 225 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Area burned by wildfires by land cover type. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.