Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan

South Sudan: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 36,299 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
36,299 hectares
Change on year
up 11.8%
World rank
7th
of 225 countries
All-time high
73,306 hectares
in 2010
All-time low
8,651 hectares
in 2021
Years of data
23
2002–2024

Wildfire area burned by land cover type in South Sudan, 2002–2024

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k2002201320242002: 26.2k hectares2003: 52.7k hectares2004: 40.2k hectares2005: 36.4k hectares2006: 32.2k hectares2007: 30.7k hectares2008: 13.5k hectares2009: 37.6k hectares2010: 73.3k hectares2011: 25.8k hectares2012: 26.9k hectares2013: 32.5k hectares2014: 19.0k hectares2015: 20.1k hectares2016: 33.0k hectares2017: 46.0k hectares2018: 29.5k hectares2019: 44.2k hectares2020: 19.0k hectares2021: 8.7k hectares2022: 20.4k hectares2023: 32.5k hectares2024: 36.3k hectares

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 36,299 hectares, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.8% on the previous year and up 90.6% 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 7th out of 225 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 33,677 hectares 13,502 hectares 52,656 hectares 8
2010s 35,034 hectares 19,040 hectares 73,306 hectares 10
2020s 23,355 hectares 8,651 hectares 36,299 hectares 5

Countries ranked near South Sudan

  1. 4 Bolivia 57,528 hectares compare
  2. 5 Democratic Republic of Congo 47,912 hectares compare
  3. 6 Congo 44,950 hectares compare
  4. 8 Botswana 19,706 hectares compare
  5. 9 Russia 17,645 hectares compare
  6. 10 Australia 17,001 hectares compare

See the full ranking of 225 places →

More reference data data for South Sudan

All data for South Sudan →

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 36,299 hectares in 2024, 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 7th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in South Sudan?
Over the last ten years it is up 90.6%. 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Wildfire area burned by land cover type
Unit
hectares
Source
Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
225 places, 5,175 data points, 2002–2024
Last refreshed

Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.