Botswana vs South Africa: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Botswana
2.59 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
2.13 million hectares
in 2025
Botswana rank
13th
South Africa rank
16th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Botswana
- South Africa
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 2.59 million hectares against 2.13 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 453,660 hectares.
That makes Botswana's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Botswana ahead.
Botswana ranks 13th and South Africa ranks 16th of 225 countries.
Botswana has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.40 million hectares | 3.69 million hectares | 706,751 hectares | Botswana |
| 2010s | 5.35 million hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 2.34 million hectares | Botswana |
| 2020s | 6.11 million hectares | 3.63 million hectares | 2.47 million hectares | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Botswana or South Africa?
- Botswana, at 2.59 million hectares against 2.13 million hectares in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Botswana and South Africa?
- 453,660 hectares, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Botswana ranks 13th and South Africa ranks 16th 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.