Annual number of fires in South Africa
South Africa: Annual number of fires was 3,581 in 2026. βΌ Falling
Annual number of fires in South Africa, 2012β2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 3,581 for annual number of fires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 39.3% on the previous year and down 49.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of fires in South Africa peaked at 14,851 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3,581, in 2026.
That places South Africa 27th out of 241 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 | 11,395 | 7,075 | 14,851 | 8 |
| 2020s | 9,840 | 3,581 | 14,373 | 7 |
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 annual number of fires in South Africa?
- Annual number of fires in South Africa was 3,581 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of fires recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14,851 in 2013.
- What is the lowest annual number of fires recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,581 in 2026.
- How does South Africa rank for annual number of fires?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 241 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of fires rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of fires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).