Annual area burnt by wildfires in South Africa
South Africa: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 903,313 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in South Africa, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt by wildfires in South Africa stood at 903,313 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 48.8% on the previous year and down 56.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in South Africa peaked at 4.26 million hectares in 2013 and was at its lowest, 903,313 hectares, in 2026.
That places South Africa 30th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.35 million hectares | 2.09 million hectares | 4.26 million hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.89 million hectares | 903,313 hectares | 4.12 million hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in South Africa?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in South Africa was 903,313 hectares in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.26 million hectares in 2013.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 903,313 hectares in 2026.
- How does South Africa rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.