Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Central America

Central America: Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area was 1.56 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.56 million ha
Change on year
up 2.3%
Rank
17th
of 31 groups
All-time high
2.48 million ha
in 2003
All-time low
507,090 ha
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Central America, 1990–2024

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M1990200720241990: 1.1M ha1991: 1.1M ha1992: 1.1M ha1993: 1.1M ha1994: 1.1M ha1995: 1.1M ha1996: 722.9k ha1997: 507.1k ha1998: 934.4k ha1999: 609.0k ha2000: 613.6k ha2001: 737.8k ha2002: 1.2M ha2003: 2.5M ha2004: 628.2k ha2005: 2.4M ha2006: 1.0M ha2007: 1.4M ha2008: 1.2M ha2009: 1.1M ha2010: 805.3k ha2011: 2.0M ha2012: 989.3k ha2013: 1.4M ha2014: 680.7k ha2015: 733.5k ha2016: 1.2M ha2017: 1.2M ha2018: 1.1M ha2019: 1.4M ha2020: 1.4M ha2021: 868.3k ha2022: 726.3k ha2023: 1.5M ha2024: 1.6M ha

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Central America is 1.56 million ha, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 129.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Central America peaked at 2.48 million ha in 2003 and was at its lowest, 507,090 ha, in 1997.

That places Central America 17th out of 31 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Central America, year by year

Annual values for Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Central America, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 1.14 million ha
1991 1.14 million ha +0.0%
1992 1.14 million ha +0.0%
1993 1.14 million ha +0.0%
1994 1.14 million ha +0.0%
1995 1.14 million ha +0.0%
1996 722,903 ha -36.7%
1997 507,090 ha -29.9%
1998 934,362 ha +84.3%
1999 608,982 ha -34.8%
2000 613,597 ha +0.8%
2001 737,809 ha +20.2%
2002 1.16 million ha +57.6%
2003 2.48 million ha +112.8%
2004 628,249 ha -74.6%
2005 2.39 million ha +280.6%
2006 1.04 million ha -56.4%
2007 1.40 million ha +34.1%
2008 1.19 million ha -15.2%
2009 1.12 million ha -5.6%
2010 805,316 ha -28.1%
2011 1.97 million ha +145.2%
2012 989,312 ha -49.9%
2013 1.36 million ha +37.0%
2014 680,660 ha -49.8%
2015 733,487 ha +7.8%
2016 1.20 million ha +63.4%
2017 1.25 million ha +4.1%
2018 1.10 million ha -12.0%
2019 1.45 million ha +31.8%
2020 1.40 million ha -3.4%
2021 868,340 ha -37.8%
2022 726,278 ha -16.4%
2023 1.53 million ha +110.2%
2024 1.56 million ha +2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 963,074 ha 507,090 ha 1.14 million ha 10
2000s 1.28 million ha 613,597 ha 2.48 million ha 10
2010s 1.15 million ha 680,660 ha 1.97 million ha 10
2020s 1.22 million ha 726,278 ha 1.56 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Central America

  1. 14 Ethiopia 2.32 million ha compare
  2. 14 Syrian Arab Republic 966.09 ha compare
  3. 15 Congo 1.87 million ha compare
  4. 15 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 494.22 ha compare
  5. 16 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 236.24 ha compare
  6. 16 Paraguay 1.38 million ha compare
  7. 17 Ghana 1.19 million ha compare
  8. 17 Micronesia (Federated States of) 0 ha
  9. 17 Republic of Moldova 0 ha compare
  10. 17 Wallis and Futuna Islands 0 ha
  11. 17 Micronesia 0 ha
  12. 17 Polynesia 0 ha compare
  13. 18 Cambodia 1.19 million ha compare
  14. 18 Côte d'Ivoire 1.06 million ha compare
  15. 19 Cameroon 1.01 million ha compare
  16. 20 Colombia 963,760 ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Central America

All data for Central America →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Central America?
Savanna and woody savanna — burned area in Central America was 1.56 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Central America?
The highest recorded value was 2.48 million ha in 2003.
What is the lowest savanna and woody savanna — burned area recorded in Central America?
The lowest recorded value was 507,090 ha in 1997.
How does Central America rank for savanna and woody savanna — burned area?
Central America ranks 17th out of 31 groups with data for 2024.
Is savanna and woody savanna — burned area rising or falling in Central America?
Over the last ten years it is up 129.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Central America data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area in Central America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-and-woody-savanna-burned-area-fao-tier-1/central-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Savanna and woody savanna — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
274 places, 9,364 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.