Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Australia
Australia: Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis was 50.56 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
50.56 million
Change on year
up 43.8%
World rank
1st
of 225 countries
All-time high
90.05 million
in 2012
All-time low
16.92 million
in 2020
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Australia, 2002–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 50.56 million for annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 43.8% on the previous year and up 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Australia peaked at 90.05 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 16.92 million, in 2020.
That places Australia 1st out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 77.04 million | — |
| 2003 | 31.66 million | -58.9% |
| 2004 | 63.99 million | +102.1% |
| 2005 | 27.97 million | -56.3% |
| 2006 | 57.61 million | +105.9% |
| 2007 | 51.59 million | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 31.63 million | -38.7% |
| 2009 | 40.79 million | +29.0% |
| 2010 | 18.47 million | -54.7% |
| 2011 | 87.98 million | +376.3% |
| 2012 | 90.05 million | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 28.43 million | -68.4% |
| 2014 | 46.86 million | +64.8% |
| 2015 | 42.22 million | -9.9% |
| 2016 | 24.29 million | -42.5% |
| 2017 | 49.21 million | +102.6% |
| 2018 | 52.22 million | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 36.15 million | -30.8% |
| 2020 | 16.92 million | -53.2% |
| 2021 | 26.61 million | +57.3% |
| 2022 | 28.18 million | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 72.49 million | +157.3% |
| 2024 | 35.17 million | -51.5% |
| 2025 | 50.56 million | +43.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 50.56 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.86, 588868.3× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Australia's 50.56 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 665.44, 75982.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.78 million | 27.97 million | 77.04 million | 8 |
| 2010s | 47.59 million | 18.47 million | 90.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.32 million | 16.92 million | 72.49 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 2 Angola 34.83 million compare
- 3 Democratic Republic of Congo 31.02 million compare
- 4 South Sudan 26.58 million compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Australia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis in Australia was 50.56 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 90.05 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires gwis recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.92 million in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires gwis?
- Australia ranks 1st out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires gwis rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt by wildfires gwis. 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).