Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Colombia
Colombia: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 446,662 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Colombia, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Colombia stood at 446,662 hectares.
The figure is down 12.9% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Colombia peaked at 875,035 hectares in 2007 and was at its lowest, 301,488 hectares, in 2012.
Colombia ranks 34th of 225 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Colombia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 376,984 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 572,924 hectares | +52.0% |
| 2004 | 850,177 hectares | +48.4% |
| 2005 | 529,434 hectares | -37.7% |
| 2006 | 438,290 hectares | -17.2% |
| 2007 | 875,035 hectares | +99.6% |
| 2008 | 700,174 hectares | -20.0% |
| 2009 | 500,777 hectares | -28.5% |
| 2010 | 416,803 hectares | -16.8% |
| 2011 | 344,313 hectares | -17.4% |
| 2012 | 301,488 hectares | -12.4% |
| 2013 | 372,755 hectares | +23.6% |
| 2014 | 572,387 hectares | +53.6% |
| 2015 | 403,322 hectares | -29.5% |
| 2016 | 607,226 hectares | +50.6% |
| 2017 | 488,821 hectares | -19.5% |
| 2018 | 758,518 hectares | +55.2% |
| 2019 | 492,298 hectares | -35.1% |
| 2020 | 798,917 hectares | +62.3% |
| 2021 | 393,083 hectares | -50.8% |
| 2022 | 597,288 hectares | +51.9% |
| 2023 | 494,552 hectares | -17.2% |
| 2024 | 512,862 hectares | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 446,662 hectares | -12.9% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 446,662 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10,669 hectares, 41.9× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 446,662 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2,758 hectares, 161.9× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 605,474 hectares | 376,984 hectares | 875,035 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 475,793 hectares | 301,488 hectares | 758,518 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 540,561 hectares | 393,083 hectares | 798,917 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More reference data data for Colombia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4113 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 9.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 61.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 94.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Colombia?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Colombia was 446,662 hectares in 2025, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 875,035 hectares in 2007.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 301,488 hectares in 2012.
- How does Colombia rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Colombia ranks 34th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Area burned by wildfires by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area of shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.