Chad vs South Africa: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type

Chad
4.80 million hectares
in 2024
South Africa
4.08 million hectares
in 2024
Chad rank
7th
South Africa rank
8th

Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time

  • Chad
  • South Africa
2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M200220132024

How they compare

Chad currently reports 4.80 million hectares against 4.08 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 713,990 hectares.

That makes Chad's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.

Across all 23 years both countries report, Chad has been ahead every year.

Chad ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 8th of 225 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Chad South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 7.99 million hectares 3.69 million hectares 4.30 million hectares Chad
2010s 6.53 million hectares 3.02 million hectares 3.51 million hectares Chad
2020s 5.60 million hectares 3.93 million hectares 1.67 million hectares Chad

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Chad or South Africa?
Chad, at 4.80 million hectares against 4.08 million hectares in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Chad and South Africa?
713,990 hectares, with Chad ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Chad and South Africa?
23 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2024.
How do Chad and South Africa rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
Chad ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 8th 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.