Annual area burnt by wildfires in Australia
Australia: Annual area burnt by wildfires was 16.66 million in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Australia, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2026, annual area burnt by wildfires in Australia stood at 16.66 million. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 53.3% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt by wildfires in Australia peaked at 65.30 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 16.66 million, in 2026.
That places Australia 3rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt by wildfires in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 65.30 million | — |
| 2013 | 26.24 million | -59.8% |
| 2014 | 35.92 million | +36.9% |
| 2015 | 33.97 million | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 22.84 million | -32.8% |
| 2017 | 37.97 million | +66.3% |
| 2018 | 36.70 million | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 36.40 million | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 18.68 million | -48.7% |
| 2021 | 24.96 million | +33.6% |
| 2022 | 26.34 million | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 54.42 million | +106.6% |
| 2024 | 30.32 million | -44.3% |
| 2025 | 35.69 million | +17.7% |
| 2026 | 16.66 million | -53.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 16.66 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 273, 61027.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 16.66 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5,676, 2935.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 36.92 million | 22.84 million | 65.30 million | 8 |
| 2020s | 29.58 million | 16.66 million | 54.42 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 in Australia?
- Annual area burnt by wildfires in Australia was 16.66 million in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 65.30 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt by wildfires recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.66 million in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual area burnt by wildfires?
- Australia ranks 3rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt by wildfires rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).