Australia vs United States: Wildfire area burned by land cover type
Australia
14,189 hectares
in 2025
United States
12,300 hectares
in 2025
Australia rank
5th
United States rank
8th
Wildfire area burned by land cover type over time
- Australia
- United States
How they compare
Australia currently reports 14,189 hectares against 12,300 hectares in United States, a difference of 1,889 hectares.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2002 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 5th and United States ranks 8th of 225 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15,265 hectares | 11,484 hectares | 3,781 hectares | Australia |
| 2010s | 18,149 hectares | 12,283 hectares | 5,867 hectares | Australia |
| 2020s | 15,309 hectares | 11,327 hectares | 3,982 hectares | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher wildfire area burned by land cover type, Australia or United States?
- Australia, at 14,189 hectares against 12,300 hectares in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in wildfire area burned by land cover type between Australia and United States?
- 1,889 hectares, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2025.
- How do Australia and United States rank globally for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
- Australia ranks 5th and United States ranks 8th of 225 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Wildfire area burned by land cover type. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.