South Africa vs Tanzania: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type
South Africa
2.13 million hectares
in 2025
Tanzania
2.44 million hectares
in 2025
South Africa rank
16th
Tanzania rank
14th
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type over time
- South Africa
- Tanzania
How they compare
Tanzania currently reports 2.44 million hectares against 2.13 million hectares in South Africa, a difference of 312,140 hectares.
That makes Tanzania's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 16th and Tanzania ranks 14th of 225 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Tanzania | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.69 million hectares | 3.69 million hectares | 7,830 hectares | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.02 million hectares | 2.74 million hectares | 280,301 hectares | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.63 million hectares | 2.53 million hectares | 1.11 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, South Africa or Tanzania?
- Tanzania, at 2.44 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 South Africa and Tanzania?
- 312,140 hectares, with Tanzania ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Tanzania?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Tanzania rank globally for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- South Africa ranks 16th and Tanzania ranks 14th 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.