Annual area burnt by wildfires in Belize
Belize: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 41,162 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Belize, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt by wildfires in Belize is 41,162 hectares, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 38.1% on the previous year and down 61.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Belize peaked at 199,163 hectares in 2013 and was at its lowest, 41,162 hectares, in 2026.
That places Belize 86th out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Belize, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 72,790 hectares | — |
| 2013 | 199,163 hectares | +173.6% |
| 2014 | 100,090 hectares | -49.7% |
| 2015 | 158,305 hectares | +58.2% |
| 2016 | 105,952 hectares | -33.1% |
| 2017 | 115,603 hectares | +9.1% |
| 2018 | 69,255 hectares | -40.1% |
| 2019 | 173,371 hectares | +150.3% |
| 2020 | 122,773 hectares | -29.2% |
| 2021 | 84,117 hectares | -31.5% |
| 2022 | 87,095 hectares | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 157,400 hectares | +80.7% |
| 2024 | 168,420 hectares | +7.0% |
| 2025 | 66,451 hectares | -60.5% |
| 2026 | 41,162 hectares | -38.1% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 41,162 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38,000 hectares, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belize's 41,162 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12,198 hectares, 3.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 124,316 hectares | 69,255 hectares | 199,163 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 103,917 hectares | 41,162 hectares | 168,420 hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More reference data data for Belize
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0139 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0041 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0467 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0206 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1856 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.399 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0225 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Belize?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Belize was 41,162 hectares in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 199,163 hectares in 2013.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 41,162 hectares in 2026.
- How does Belize rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Belize ranks 86th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.