According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), cited by Público, over the last 18 years (2006-2024), an average of 1.05% of the approximately 92,000 square kilometres in Portugal burned, almost three times more than Greece, second in the ranking, where rural fires destroyed 0.38% of the area. This year, as of mid-August, 2.35% of the national territory, approximately 216,000 hectares, has already burned, the publication states.

In absolute terms, only Spain has recorded a larger burned area – more than 344,000 hectares – but proportionally, it represents only 0.68% of the neighbouring territory. Cyprus, on the other hand, has similar percentages to Portugal in 2025, with 2.3% of its territory consumed by flames, but given its small size, the relative numbers are equivalent.

Author: Público;

The sum of the fires demonstrates that the summer of 2025 could go down in history for the severity and scale of forest fires in Portugal, keeping the country at the top of this European ranking.