Ghana vs South Africa: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Ghana
1.75 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
2.13 million hectares
in 2025
Ghana rank
19th
South Africa rank
16th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Ghana
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.13 million hectares against 1.75 million hectares in Ghana, a difference of 379,430 hectares.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Ghana's.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Africa ahead.
Ghana ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 225 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Ghana averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ghana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.27 million hectares | 3.69 million hectares | 422,628 hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.28 million hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 262,772 hectares | Ghana |
| 2020s | 3.08 million hectares | 3.63 million hectares | 556,790 hectares | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Ghana or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.13 million hectares against 1.75 million hectares in Ghana as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Ghana and South Africa?
- 379,430 hectares, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ghana and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Ghana and South Africa rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Ghana ranks 19th 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.