Namibia vs South Africa: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
Namibia
2.15 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa
2.13 million hectares
in 2025
Namibia rank
15th
South Africa rank
16th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- Namibia
- South Africa
How they compare
Namibia currently reports 2.15 million hectares against 2.13 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 14,670 hectares.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Africa ahead.
Namibia ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 16th of 225 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Namibia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Namibia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.90 million hectares | 3.69 million hectares | 209,022 hectares | Namibia |
| 2010s | 3.82 million hectares | 3.02 million hectares | 800,703 hectares | Namibia |
| 2020s | 2.53 million hectares | 3.63 million hectares | 1.10 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, Namibia or South Africa?
- Namibia, at 2.15 million hectares against 2.13 million hectares in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in area burned by wildfires by land cover type between Namibia and South Africa?
- 14,670 hectares, with Namibia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Namibia and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Namibia and South Africa rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Namibia ranks 15th 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.