Wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre was 0.0009 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre in South Africa, 2002–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.0009 hectares per square kilometre for wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre in 2023.
That represents a change of up 47.1% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.0022 hectares per square kilometre in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 68th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0.0022 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 2003 | 0.0012 hectares per square kilometre | -46.7% |
| 2004 | 0.0008 hectares per square kilometre | -26.2% |
| 2005 | 0.0008 hectares per square kilometre | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 0.0007 hectares per square kilometre | -11.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0008 hectares per square kilometre | +20.5% |
| 2008 | 0.0011 hectares per square kilometre | +36.2% |
| 2009 | 0.0014 hectares per square kilometre | +21.9% |
| 2010 | 0.0008 hectares per square kilometre | -38.5% |
| 2011 | 0.001 hectares per square kilometre | +12.5% |
| 2012 | 0.001 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0012 hectares per square kilometre | +20.4% |
| 2014 | 0.0013 hectares per square kilometre | +9.2% |
| 2015 | 0.0017 hectares per square kilometre | +33.8% |
| 2016 | 0.001 hectares per square kilometre | -42.1% |
| 2017 | 0.0015 hectares per square kilometre | +52.7% |
| 2018 | 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre | -81.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0008 hectares per square kilometre | +168.8% |
| 2020 | 0.0009 hectares per square kilometre | +18.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre | -70.6% |
| 2022 | 0.0006 hectares per square kilometre | +126.7% |
| 2023 | 0.0009 hectares per square kilometre | +47.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0011 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0007 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0022 hectares per square kilometre | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.001 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0017 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0007 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0009 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 65 Panama 0.0012 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 66 Uruguay 0.0011 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 67 Colombia 0.0011 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 69 Malaysia 0.0008 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 70 Equatorial Guinea 0.0008 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 71 Portugal 0.0007 hectares per square kilometre compare
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, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.0009 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0022 hectares per square kilometre in 2002.
- What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0003 hectares per square kilometre in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 68th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Wildfire area burned by land cover type, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Wildfire area burned by land cover type divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Wildfire area burned by land cover type ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Wildfire area burned by land cover type divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.