Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Australia
Australia: Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires was 24,293 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Australia, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
Australia recorded 24,293 wildfires for annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 38.2% on the previous year and down 26.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Australia peaked at 55,570 wildfires in 2012 and was at its lowest, 24,293 wildfires, in 2026.
That places Australia 4th 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 per wildfire vs. number of fires in Australia, year by year
| Year | wildfires | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 55,570 wildfires | — |
| 2013 | 32,394 wildfires | -41.7% |
| 2014 | 40,123 wildfires | +23.9% |
| 2015 | 38,716 wildfires | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 32,834 wildfires | -15.2% |
| 2017 | 47,990 wildfires | +46.2% |
| 2018 | 42,896 wildfires | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 34,478 wildfires | -19.6% |
| 2020 | 28,013 wildfires | -18.8% |
| 2021 | 37,589 wildfires | +34.2% |
| 2022 | 36,741 wildfires | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 50,172 wildfires | +36.6% |
| 2024 | 34,623 wildfires | -31.0% |
| 2025 | 39,281 wildfires | +13.5% |
| 2026 | 24,293 wildfires | -38.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 24,293 wildfires is above the median for high income countries, which is 1 wildfires, 24293.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 24,293 wildfires is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12 wildfires, 2024.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40,625 wildfires | 32,394 wildfires | 55,570 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 35,816 wildfires | 24,293 wildfires | 50,172 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 65,851 wildfires compare
- 2 Angola 50,923 wildfires compare
- 3 Zambia 28,043 wildfires compare
- 5 Mozambique 20,655 wildfires compare
- 6 Indonesia 17,008 wildfires compare
- 7 South Sudan 15,057 wildfires 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 per wildfire vs. number of fires in Australia?
- Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires in Australia was 24,293 wildfires in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 55,570 wildfires in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,293 wildfires in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires?
- Australia ranks 4th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual area burnt per wildfire vs. number of fires. 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).
About this data
Number of wildfires. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.