Forest fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Forest fires — Burned Area was 6,585 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
6,585 ha
Change on year
up 1,300.1%
World rank
56th
of 219 countries
All-time high
14,367 ha
in 2022
All-time low
85.52 ha
in 2011
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica, 1990–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k1990200720241990: 4.4k ha1991: 4.4k ha1992: 4.4k ha1993: 4.4k ha1994: 4.4k ha1995: 4.4k ha1996: 1.0k ha1997: 2.1k ha1998: 4.1k ha1999: 2.0k ha2000: 2.0k ha2001: 5.6k ha2002: 2.2k ha2003: 4.6k ha2004: 2.2k ha2005: 684.1 ha2006: 427.6 ha2007: 8.3k ha2008: 235.2 ha2009: 2.5k ha2010: 2.3k ha2011: 85.5 ha2012: 7.1k ha2013: 9.2k ha2014: 4.0k ha2015: 10.7k ha2016: 10.0k ha2017: 3.1k ha2018: 4.3k ha2019: 8.1k ha2020: 7.8k ha2021: 1.0k ha2022: 14.4k ha2023: 470.3 ha2024: 6.6k ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

The most recent figure for forest fires — burned area in Costa Rica is 6,585 ha, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 1,300.1% on the previous year and up 63.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Costa Rica peaked at 14,367 ha in 2022 and was at its lowest, 85.52 ha, in 2011.

That places Costa Rica 56th out of 219 countries 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 Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 4,387 ha
1991 4,387 ha +0.0%
1992 4,387 ha +0.0%
1993 4,387 ha +0.0%
1994 4,387 ha +0.0%
1995 4,387 ha +0.0%
1996 1,037 ha -76.4%
1997 2,105 ha +103.0%
1998 4,125 ha +95.9%
1999 2,018 ha -51.1%
2000 1,965 ha -2.6%
2001 5,558 ha +182.8%
2002 2,245 ha -59.6%
2003 4,597 ha +104.8%
2004 2,223 ha -51.6%
2005 684.14 ha -69.2%
2006 427.57 ha -37.5%
2007 8,295 ha +1840.1%
2008 235.18 ha -97.2%
2009 2,458 ha +945.4%
2010 2,330 ha -5.2%
2011 85.52 ha -96.3%
2012 7,076 ha +8174.6%
2013 9,214 ha +30.2%
2014 4,041 ha -56.1%
2015 10,668 ha +164.0%
2016 9,963 ha -6.6%
2017 3,143 ha -68.5%
2018 4,340 ha +38.1%
2019 8,145 ha +87.7%
2020 7,761 ha -4.7%
2021 1,048 ha -86.5%
2022 14,367 ha +1271.4%
2023 470.31 ha -96.7%
2024 6,585 ha +1300.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,561 ha 1,037 ha 4,387 ha 10
2000s 2,869 ha 235.18 ha 8,295 ha 10
2010s 5,901 ha 85.52 ha 10,668 ha 10
2020s 6,046 ha 470.31 ha 14,367 ha 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 53 Papua New Guinea 8,699 ha compare
  2. 54 Cuba 8,671 ha compare
  3. 55 Ecuador 6,924 ha compare
  4. 57 Senegal 4,726 ha compare
  5. 58 Bahamas 4,241 ha compare
  6. 59 Eswatini 3,578 ha compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — burned area in Costa Rica?
Forest fires — burned area in Costa Rica was 6,585 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 14,367 ha in 2022.
What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 85.52 ha in 2011.
How does Costa Rica rank for forest fires — burned area?
Costa Rica ranks 56th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 63.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Costa Rica 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.

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Forest fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
272 places, 9,294 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

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.