Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Africa
South Africa: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 1,202 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Africa, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Africa is 1,202 hectares, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 55.9% on the previous year and down 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Africa peaked at 2,726 hectares in 2024 and was at its lowest, 321.99 hectares, in 2021.
That places South Africa 36th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2,619 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 1,395 hectares | -46.7% |
| 2004 | 1,030 hectares | -26.2% |
| 2005 | 944.5 hectares | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 837.17 hectares | -11.4% |
| 2007 | 1,009 hectares | +20.5% |
| 2008 | 1,374 hectares | +36.2% |
| 2009 | 1,674 hectares | +21.9% |
| 2010 | 1,030 hectares | -38.5% |
| 2011 | 1,159 hectares | +12.5% |
| 2012 | 1,159 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1,395 hectares | +20.4% |
| 2014 | 1,524 hectares | +9.2% |
| 2015 | 2,039 hectares | +33.8% |
| 2016 | 1,181 hectares | -42.1% |
| 2017 | 1,803 hectares | +52.7% |
| 2018 | 343.45 hectares | -81.0% |
| 2019 | 923.03 hectares | +168.8% |
| 2020 | 1,095 hectares | +18.6% |
| 2021 | 321.99 hectares | -70.6% |
| 2022 | 729.84 hectares | +126.7% |
| 2023 | 1,073 hectares | +47.1% |
| 2024 | 2,726 hectares | +154.0% |
| 2025 | 1,202 hectares | -55.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1,202 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.47 hectares, 56.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1,202 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 246.86 hectares, 4.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,360 hectares | 837.17 hectares | 2,619 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 1,256 hectares | 343.45 hectares | 2,039 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,191 hectares | 321.99 hectares | 2,726 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Africa?
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Africa was 1,202 hectares in 2025, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2,726 hectares in 2024.
- What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 321.99 hectares in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.1%. 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 Wildfire area burned by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.