Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 16,507 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nicaragua, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 16,507 hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 62.9% on the previous year and up 67.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nicaragua peaked at 101,491 hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7,170 hectares, in 2002.
Nicaragua ranks 77th of 225 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 7,170 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 39,626 hectares | +452.7% |
| 2004 | 10,754 hectares | -72.9% |
| 2005 | 71,782 hectares | +567.5% |
| 2006 | 18,654 hectares | -74.0% |
| 2007 | 23,741 hectares | +27.3% |
| 2008 | 52,184 hectares | +119.8% |
| 2009 | 12,193 hectares | -76.6% |
| 2010 | 65,428 hectares | +436.6% |
| 2011 | 24,106 hectares | -63.2% |
| 2012 | 20,800 hectares | -13.7% |
| 2013 | 41,773 hectares | +100.8% |
| 2014 | 56,992 hectares | +36.4% |
| 2015 | 9,853 hectares | -82.7% |
| 2016 | 32,993 hectares | +234.9% |
| 2017 | 16,035 hectares | -51.4% |
| 2018 | 41,429 hectares | +158.4% |
| 2019 | 28,335 hectares | -31.6% |
| 2020 | 48,406 hectares | +70.8% |
| 2021 | 20,564 hectares | -57.5% |
| 2022 | 18,031 hectares | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 101,491 hectares | +462.9% |
| 2024 | 44,477 hectares | -56.2% |
| 2025 | 16,507 hectares | -62.9% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 16,507 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49,425 hectares, 33% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 16,507 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2,758 hectares, 6.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nicaragua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +567.5% | 10,754 hectares | 71,782 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29,513 hectares | 7,170 hectares | 71,782 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 33,774 hectares | 9,853 hectares | 65,428 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,579 hectares | 16,507 hectares | 101,491 hectares | 6 |
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 area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nicaragua?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Nicaragua was 16,507 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 101,491 hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,170 hectares in 2002.
- How does Nicaragua rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Nicaragua ranks 77th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 67.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 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.