Brazil vs South Sudan: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type

Brazil
7.04 million hectares
in 2024
South Sudan
9.42 million hectares
in 2024
Brazil rank
4th
South Sudan rank
3rd

Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time

  • Brazil
  • South Sudan
2.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M15.0M200220132024

How they compare

South Sudan currently reports 9.42 million hectares against 7.04 million hectares in Brazil, a difference of 2.38 million hectares.

That makes South Sudan's figure about 1.3 times Brazil's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 23 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Sudan ahead.

Brazil ranks 4th and South Sudan ranks 3rd of 225 countries.

South Sudan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil South Sudan Difference Ahead
2000s 5.63 million hectares 12.34 million hectares 6.71 million hectares South Sudan
2010s 5.44 million hectares 10.53 million hectares 5.08 million hectares South Sudan
2020s 5.28 million hectares 8.94 million hectares 3.66 million hectares South Sudan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Brazil or South Sudan?
South Sudan, at 9.42 million hectares against 7.04 million hectares in Brazil as of 2024.
What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Brazil and South Sudan?
2.38 million hectares, with South Sudan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and South Sudan?
23 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2024.
How do Brazil and South Sudan rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
Brazil ranks 4th 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

Indicator
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
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, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.