Forest fires — Burned Area in Central America
Central America: Forest fires — Burned Area was 894,944 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Burned Area in Central America, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, forest fires — burned area in Central America stood at 894,944 ha.
The figure is up 76.0% on the previous year and up 501.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Central America peaked at 1.29 million ha in 2003 and was at its lowest, 118,604 ha, in 2004.
That places Central America 14th out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Forest fires — Burned Area in Central America, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 477,389 ha | — |
| 1991 | 477,389 ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 477,389 ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 477,389 ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 477,389 ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 477,389 ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 257,556 ha | -46.0% |
| 1997 | 290,582 ha | +12.8% |
| 1998 | 1.23 million ha | +324.1% |
| 1999 | 605,337 ha | -50.9% |
| 2000 | 700,704 ha | +15.8% |
| 2001 | 149,122 ha | -78.7% |
| 2002 | 328,260 ha | +120.1% |
| 2003 | 1.29 million ha | +292.8% |
| 2004 | 118,604 ha | -90.8% |
| 2005 | 837,522 ha | +606.1% |
| 2006 | 388,132 ha | -53.7% |
| 2007 | 370,997 ha | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 385,244 ha | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 458,058 ha | +18.9% |
| 2010 | 242,341 ha | -47.1% |
| 2011 | 624,308 ha | +157.6% |
| 2012 | 219,977 ha | -64.8% |
| 2013 | 607,780 ha | +176.3% |
| 2014 | 148,753 ha | -75.5% |
| 2015 | 301,863 ha | +102.9% |
| 2016 | 382,471 ha | +26.7% |
| 2017 | 444,044 ha | +16.1% |
| 2018 | 242,978 ha | -45.3% |
| 2019 | 570,537 ha | +134.8% |
| 2020 | 683,244 ha | +19.8% |
| 2021 | 290,178 ha | -57.5% |
| 2022 | 270,400 ha | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 508,363 ha | +88.0% |
| 2024 | 894,944 ha | +76.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forest fires — Burned Area in Central America changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +606.1% | 118,604 ha | 837,522 ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 525,025 ha | 257,556 ha | 1.23 million ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 502,619 ha | 118,604 ha | 1.29 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 378,505 ha | 148,753 ha | 624,308 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 529,426 ha | 270,400 ha | 894,944 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Central America
- 11 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 10,553 ha compare
- 11 India 523,649 ha compare
- 12 Cambodia 470,662 ha compare
- 12 Melanesia 8,913 ha compare
- 13 Nepal 363,091 ha compare
- 13 Türkiye 2,750 ha compare
- 14 Thailand 362,523 ha compare
- 14 Timor-Leste 171.01 ha compare
- 15 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0 ha compare
- 15 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 ha
- 15 Republic of Moldova 0 ha compare
- 15 South Sudan 289,236 ha compare
- 15 Syrian Arab Republic 0 ha compare
- 15 Wallis and Futuna Islands 0 ha
- 15 Micronesia 0 ha
- 15 Polynesia 0 ha compare
- 16 Sudan (former) 276,002 ha compare
- 17 Paraguay 178,192 ha compare
More climate change data for Central America
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 2.76 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 153,880 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 39,309 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 114,571 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 148.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4,092 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 19,754 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 18,504 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,250 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 69.83 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest fires — burned area in Central America?
- Forest fires — burned area in Central America was 894,944 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Central America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.29 million ha in 2003.
- What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Central America?
- The lowest recorded value was 118,604 ha in 2004.
- How does Central America rank for forest fires — burned area?
- Central America ranks 14th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Central America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 501.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Central America data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Forest fires — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Fires consists of estimates of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from biomass burning in a range of vegetation types and from fires in organic soils.