Mozambique vs South Africa: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Mozambique
2.04 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
2.13 million hectares
in 2025
Mozambique rank
17th
South Africa rank
16th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Mozambique
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.13 million hectares against 2.04 million hectares in Mozambique, a difference of 90,800 hectares.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Africa ahead.
Mozambique ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 16th of 225 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mozambique | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.74 million hectares | 3.69 million hectares | 950,299 hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.33 million hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 690,773 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.47 million hectares | 3.63 million hectares | 1.16 million 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, Mozambique or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.13 million hectares against 2.04 million hectares in Mozambique as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Mozambique and South Africa?
- 90,800 hectares, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mozambique and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Mozambique and South Africa rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Mozambique ranks 17th 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.