Costa Rica vs El Salvador: Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year
Costa Rica
1.9%
in 2026
El Salvador
1.8%
in 2026
Costa Rica rank
29th
El Salvador rank
30th
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year over time
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1.9% against 1.8% in El Salvador, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times El Salvador's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 29th and El Salvador ranks 30th of 236 countries.
El Salvador has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.3% | 3.9% | 1.6% | El Salvador |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.7% | 0.2% | El Salvador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year, Costa Rica or El Salvador?
- Costa Rica, at 1.9% against 1.8% in El Salvador as of 2026.
- What is the difference in share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year between Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 0.1%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and El Salvador?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Costa Rica and El Salvador rank globally for share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year?
- Costa Rica ranks 29th and El Salvador ranks 30th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total area consumed by wildfires is recorded for each fire event, even if fires occur in the same location multiple times. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 28 August 2026.