Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan
South Sudan: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 20,886 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan, 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 Sudan is 20,886 hectares, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 42.5% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan peaked at 73,306 hectares in 2010 and was at its lowest, 8,651 hectares, in 2021.
That places South Sudan 4th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 26,167 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 52,656 hectares | +101.2% |
| 2004 | 40,227 hectares | -23.6% |
| 2005 | 36,406 hectares | -9.5% |
| 2006 | 32,156 hectares | -11.7% |
| 2007 | 30,675 hectares | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 13,502 hectares | -56.0% |
| 2009 | 37,630 hectares | +178.7% |
| 2010 | 73,306 hectares | +94.8% |
| 2011 | 25,823 hectares | -64.8% |
| 2012 | 26,918 hectares | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 32,499 hectares | +20.7% |
| 2014 | 19,040 hectares | -41.4% |
| 2015 | 20,114 hectares | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 32,950 hectares | +63.8% |
| 2017 | 46,001 hectares | +39.6% |
| 2018 | 29,537 hectares | -35.8% |
| 2019 | 44,155 hectares | +49.5% |
| 2020 | 18,954 hectares | -57.1% |
| 2021 | 8,651 hectares | -54.4% |
| 2022 | 20,393 hectares | +135.7% |
| 2023 | 32,478 hectares | +59.3% |
| 2024 | 36,299 hectares | +11.8% |
| 2025 | 20,886 hectares | -42.5% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 20,886 hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 558.11 hectares, 37.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 20,886 hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 246.86 hectares, 84.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33,677 hectares | 13,502 hectares | 52,656 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 35,034 hectares | 19,040 hectares | 73,306 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 22,943 hectares | 8,651 hectares | 36,299 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More reference data data for South Sudan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 7 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3667 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.41 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 19,422 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 684.53 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 325.82 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 8,797 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 6.36 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 577.67 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 944.75 (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan?
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan was 20,886 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 Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 73,306 hectares in 2010.
- What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,651 hectares in 2021.
- How does South Sudan rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
- South Sudan ranks 4th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Sudan 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.