Land burned by forest fires in Portugal 2009-2024

Portugal has been the European country most affected by wildfires over the past decade. Between 2009 and 2023, an average area of over 93,731 hectares was burned every year. Furthermore, 2017 saw the greatest area lost to wildfires in a single year, with the rapidly spreading wildfires from June 17 to 24 in Central Portugal among the most deadly in recent history – 66 people were confirmed to have been killed. As of December 2024, the size of wildfire-burnt area that year was around 143,313 hectares, a considerable increase from the previous year.