Savanna fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Savanna fires — Burned Area was 17,916 ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
17,916 ha
Change on year
up 51.3%
World rank
82nd
of 221 countries
All-time high
34,143 ha
in 2016
All-time low
3,965 ha
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

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

010.0k20.0k30.0k1990200720241990: 15.4k ha1991: 15.4k ha1992: 15.4k ha1993: 15.4k ha1994: 15.4k ha1995: 15.4k ha1996: 6.8k ha1997: 4.0k ha1998: 5.2k ha1999: 6.3k ha2000: 5.6k ha2001: 21.3k ha2002: 12.5k ha2003: 22.7k ha2004: 19.7k ha2005: 10.6k ha2006: 8.4k ha2007: 13.7k ha2008: 12.0k ha2009: 11.3k ha2010: 14.9k ha2011: 4.8k ha2012: 14.0k ha2013: 29.4k ha2014: 22.2k ha2015: 20.2k ha2016: 34.1k ha2017: 18.8k ha2018: 22.0k ha2019: 20.8k ha2020: 16.1k ha2021: 11.5k ha2022: 25.3k ha2023: 11.8k ha2024: 17.9k ha

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for savanna fires — burned area in Costa Rica is 17,916 ha, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 51.3% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, savanna fires — burned area in Costa Rica peaked at 34,143 ha in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3,965 ha, in 1997.

That places Costa Rica 82nd out of 221 countries 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 fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica, year by year

Annual values for Savanna fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 15,353 ha
1991 15,353 ha +0.0%
1992 15,353 ha +0.0%
1993 15,353 ha +0.0%
1994 15,353 ha +0.0%
1995 15,353 ha +0.0%
1996 6,841 ha -55.4%
1997 3,965 ha -42.0%
1998 5,193 ha +31.0%
1999 6,312 ha +21.5%
2000 5,556 ha -12.0%
2001 21,294 ha +283.2%
2002 12,464 ha -41.5%
2003 22,705 ha +82.2%
2004 19,711 ha -13.2%
2005 10,604 ha -46.2%
2006 8,423 ha -20.6%
2007 13,704 ha +62.7%
2008 11,951 ha -12.8%
2009 11,267 ha -5.7%
2010 14,859 ha +31.9%
2011 4,789 ha -67.8%
2012 13,982 ha +192.0%
2013 29,439 ha +110.6%
2014 22,235 ha -24.5%
2015 20,246 ha -8.9%
2016 34,143 ha +68.6%
2017 18,814 ha -44.9%
2018 22,042 ha +17.2%
2019 20,824 ha -5.5%
2020 16,056 ha -22.9%
2021 11,481 ha -28.5%
2022 25,270 ha +120.1%
2023 11,844 ha -53.1%
2024 17,916 ha +51.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11,443 ha 3,965 ha 15,353 ha 10
2000s 13,768 ha 5,556 ha 22,705 ha 10
2010s 20,137 ha 4,789 ha 34,143 ha 10
2020s 16,513 ha 11,481 ha 25,270 ha 5

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 79 Albania 24,353 ha compare
  2. 80 Bulgaria 22,016 ha compare
  3. 81 Spain 21,463 ha compare
  4. 83 Serbia 17,161 ha compare
  5. 84 Azerbaijan 15,879 ha compare
  6. 85 Panama 13,424 ha compare

See the full ranking of 274 places →

More climate change data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is savanna fires — burned area in Costa Rica?
Savanna fires — burned area in Costa Rica was 17,916 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 34,143 ha in 2016.
What is the lowest savanna fires — burned area recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 3,965 ha in 1997.
How does Costa Rica rank for savanna fires — burned area?
Costa Rica ranks 82nd out of 221 countries with data for 2024.
Is savanna fires — burned area rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Savanna fires — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Savanna fires — Burned Area in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/savanna-fires-burned-area-fao-tier-1/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Savanna fires — 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.