Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mexico
Mexico: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 259,179 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mexico, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 259,179 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2025.
The figure is up 29.5% on the previous year and up 175.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mexico peaked at 842,278 hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, 94,257 hectares, in 2015.
That places Mexico 41st out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mexico, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 133,432 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 184,564 hectares | +38.3% |
| 2004 | 114,392 hectares | -38.0% |
| 2005 | 298,096 hectares | +160.6% |
| 2006 | 176,986 hectares | -40.6% |
| 2007 | 163,463 hectares | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 244,646 hectares | +49.7% |
| 2009 | 301,982 hectares | +23.4% |
| 2010 | 150,132 hectares | -50.3% |
| 2011 | 842,278 hectares | +461.0% |
| 2012 | 205,063 hectares | -75.7% |
| 2013 | 209,528 hectares | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 106,428 hectares | -49.2% |
| 2015 | 94,257 hectares | -11.4% |
| 2016 | 158,826 hectares | +68.5% |
| 2017 | 318,768 hectares | +100.7% |
| 2018 | 249,519 hectares | -21.7% |
| 2019 | 282,620 hectares | +13.3% |
| 2020 | 219,188 hectares | -22.4% |
| 2021 | 179,283 hectares | -18.2% |
| 2022 | 202,144 hectares | +12.8% |
| 2023 | 304,815 hectares | +50.8% |
| 2024 | 200,148 hectares | -34.3% |
| 2025 | 259,179 hectares | +29.5% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 259,179 hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10,669 hectares, 24.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 259,179 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2,758 hectares, 94.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mexico changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +461.0% | 150,132 hectares | 842,278 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 202,195 hectares | 114,392 hectares | 301,982 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 261,742 hectares | 94,257 hectares | 842,278 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 227,460 hectares | 179,283 hectares | 304,815 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More reference data data for Mexico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 16.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 13.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 84.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 157.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.55 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mexico?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Mexico was 259,179 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 842,278 hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 94,257 hectares in 2015.
- How does Mexico rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Mexico ranks 41st out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 175.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico 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.