Australia vs Zambia: Annual area burnt by wildfires
Australia
14.92 million hectares
in 2026
Zambia
9.30 million hectares
in 2026
Australia rank
3rd
Zambia rank
4th
Annual area burnt by wildfires over time
- Australia
- Zambia
How they compare
Australia currently reports 14.92 million hectares against 9.30 million hectares in Zambia, a difference of 5.63 million hectares.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.6 times Zambia's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2012 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 3rd and Zambia ranks 4th of 248 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 36.92 million hectares | 22.33 million hectares | 14.59 million hectares | Australia |
| 2020s | 29.33 million hectares | 16.70 million hectares | 12.64 million hectares | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual area burnt by wildfires, Australia or Zambia?
- Australia, at 14.92 million hectares against 9.30 million hectares in Zambia as of 2026.
- What is the difference in annual area burnt by wildfires between Australia and Zambia?
- 5.63 million hectares, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Zambia?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2026.
- How do Australia and Zambia rank globally for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Australia ranks 3rd and Zambia ranks 4th of 248 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual area burnt by wildfires. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Area burnt by wildfires in hectares. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.