Mali vs South Africa: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Mali
6.85 million hectares
in 2024
South Africa
4.08 million hectares
in 2024
Mali rank
5th
South Africa rank
8th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Mali
- South Africa
How they compare
Mali currently reports 6.85 million hectares against 4.08 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 2.76 million hectares.
That makes Mali's figure about 1.7 times South Africa's.
Across all 23 years both countries report, Mali has been ahead every year.
Mali ranks 5th and South Africa ranks 8th of 225 countries.
Mali has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mali | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.69 million hectares | 3.69 million hectares | 3.00 million hectares | Mali |
| 2010s | 5.40 million hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 2.38 million hectares | Mali |
| 2020s | 6.06 million hectares | 3.93 million hectares | 2.13 million hectares | Mali |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher area burned by wildfires by land cover type, Mali or South Africa?
- Mali, at 6.85 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 Mali and South Africa?
- 2.76 million hectares, with Mali ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mali and South Africa?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2024.
- How do Mali and South Africa rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Mali ranks 5th 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
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.