Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre was 0.1656 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Costa Rica, 2002–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 0.1656 hectares per square kilometre for area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in 2023.
The figure is up 13.5% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Costa Rica peaked at 0.1825 hectares per square kilometre in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0391 hectares per square kilometre, in 2005.
Costa Rica ranks 60th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0.082 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 2003 | 0.0975 hectares per square kilometre | +19.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1034 hectares per square kilometre | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 0.0391 hectares per square kilometre | -62.2% |
| 2006 | 0.0395 hectares per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0521 hectares per square kilometre | +31.9% |
| 2008 | 0.1143 hectares per square kilometre | +119.4% |
| 2009 | 0.0996 hectares per square kilometre | -12.9% |
| 2010 | 0.1341 hectares per square kilometre | +34.6% |
| 2011 | 0.0555 hectares per square kilometre | -58.6% |
| 2012 | 0.0656 hectares per square kilometre | +18.2% |
| 2013 | 0.1484 hectares per square kilometre | +126.3% |
| 2014 | 0.108 hectares per square kilometre | -27.2% |
| 2015 | 0.1825 hectares per square kilometre | +68.9% |
| 2016 | 0.1513 hectares per square kilometre | -17.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1282 hectares per square kilometre | -15.3% |
| 2018 | 0.1362 hectares per square kilometre | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 0.1165 hectares per square kilometre | -14.5% |
| 2020 | 0.1186 hectares per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.0996 hectares per square kilometre | -16.0% |
| 2022 | 0.1459 hectares per square kilometre | +46.4% |
| 2023 | 0.1656 hectares per square kilometre | +13.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0785 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0391 hectares per square kilometre | 0.1143 hectares per square kilometre | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.1226 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0555 hectares per square kilometre | 0.1825 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1324 hectares per square kilometre | 0.0996 hectares per square kilometre | 0.1656 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 57 Mauritania 0.2604 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 58 Iraq 0.2338 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 59 Sierra Leone 0.2147 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 61 Mexico 0.1568 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 62 Cape Verde 0.1385 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 63 Panama 0.1299 hectares per square kilometre compare
More reference data data for Costa Rica
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.406 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3161 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0907 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Costa Rica?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre in Costa Rica was 0.1656 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1825 hectares per square kilometre in 2015.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0391 hectares per square kilometre in 2005.
- How does Costa Rica rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre?
- Costa Rica ranks 60th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Area burned by wildfires by land cover type, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.