Annual area burnt by wildfires in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 206,703 hectares in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Nicaragua, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt by wildfires in Nicaragua stood at 206,703 hectares.
That represents a change of up 45.4% on the previous year and down 64.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Nicaragua peaked at 786,889 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 142,160 hectares, in 2025.
Nicaragua ranks 57th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 237,899 hectares | — |
| 2013 | 586,614 hectares | +146.6% |
| 2014 | 556,111 hectares | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 343,173 hectares | -38.3% |
| 2016 | 577,757 hectares | +68.4% |
| 2017 | 258,616 hectares | -55.2% |
| 2018 | 439,224 hectares | +69.8% |
| 2019 | 595,279 hectares | +35.5% |
| 2020 | 619,465 hectares | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 224,886 hectares | -63.7% |
| 2022 | 286,244 hectares | +27.3% |
| 2023 | 786,889 hectares | +174.9% |
| 2024 | 668,106 hectares | -15.1% |
| 2025 | 142,160 hectares | -78.7% |
| 2026 | 206,703 hectares | +45.4% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 206,703 hectares is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 156,215 hectares, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 206,703 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12,198 hectares, 16.9× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 449,334 hectares | 237,899 hectares | 595,279 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 419,208 hectares | 142,160 hectares | 786,889 hectares | 7 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More reference data data for Nicaragua
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4575 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4557 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4457 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires in Nicaragua?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Nicaragua was 206,703 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 786,889 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 142,160 hectares in 2025.
- How does Nicaragua rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Nicaragua ranks 57th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 64.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.
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About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.