Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year was 1.18 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in South Africa, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2026, share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in South Africa stood at 1.18. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.7% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in South Africa peaked at 3.49 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.18, in 2026.
South Africa ranks 50th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3.22 | — |
| 2013 | 3.49 | +8.4% |
| 2014 | 3.34 | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 2.35 | -29.6% |
| 2016 | 1.72 | -26.9% |
| 2017 | 2.8 | +63.1% |
| 2018 | 2.32 | -17.0% |
| 2019 | 2.72 | +17.1% |
| 2020 | 2.55 | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 3.38 | +32.6% |
| 2022 | 2.79 | -17.5% |
| 2023 | 3.19 | +14.4% |
| 2024 | 2.52 | -21.0% |
| 2025 | 1.45 | -42.6% |
| 2026 | 1.18 | -18.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.18 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2444, 4.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.18 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.47, 80% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.75 | 1.72 | 3.49 | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.43 | 1.18 | 3.38 | 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 share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in South Africa?
- Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in South Africa was 1.18 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.49 in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.18 in 2026.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year?
- South Africa ranks 50th out of 236 countries with data for 2026.
- Is share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. 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 Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).