Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Guatemala
Guatemala: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 25,802 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Guatemala, 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 Guatemala stood at 25,802 hectares.
The figure is down 15.0% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Guatemala peaked at 34,796 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 6,225 hectares, in 2004.
Guatemala ranks 67th of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 11,227 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 23,484 hectares | +109.2% |
| 2004 | 6,225 hectares | -73.5% |
| 2005 | 14,790 hectares | +137.6% |
| 2006 | 11,978 hectares | -19.0% |
| 2007 | 25,394 hectares | +112.0% |
| 2008 | 13,416 hectares | -47.2% |
| 2009 | 18,954 hectares | +41.3% |
| 2010 | 16,014 hectares | -15.5% |
| 2011 | 17,666 hectares | +10.3% |
| 2012 | 20,650 hectares | +16.9% |
| 2013 | 24,772 hectares | +20.0% |
| 2014 | 22,797 hectares | -8.0% |
| 2015 | 29,687 hectares | +30.2% |
| 2016 | 34,796 hectares | +17.2% |
| 2017 | 23,333 hectares | -32.9% |
| 2018 | 18,847 hectares | -19.2% |
| 2019 | 23,419 hectares | +24.3% |
| 2020 | 24,686 hectares | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 22,239 hectares | -9.9% |
| 2022 | 25,695 hectares | +15.5% |
| 2023 | 29,966 hectares | +16.6% |
| 2024 | 30,353 hectares | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 25,802 hectares | -15.0% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 25,802 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10,669 hectares, 2.4× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 25,802 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2,758 hectares, 9.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15,684 hectares | 6,225 hectares | 25,394 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 23,198 hectares | 16,014 hectares | 34,796 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 26,457 hectares | 22,239 hectares | 30,353 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More reference data data for Guatemala
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9286 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1246 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 7.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 18.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6786 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Guatemala?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Guatemala was 25,802 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 34,796 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,225 hectares in 2004.
- How does Guatemala rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Guatemala ranks 67th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala 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.