Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Australia
Australia: Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires was 20,782 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Australia, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 20,782 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 47.1% on the previous year and down 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires in Australia peaked at 55,570 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 20,782, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40,625 | 32,394 | 55,570 | 8 |
| 2020s | 35,314 | 20,782 | 50,172 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 44,861 compare
- 2 Angola 28,133 compare
- 4 South Sudan 14,468 compare
- 5 India 13,557 compare
- 6 Zambia 13,090 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 20,782 in 2026, according to 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 in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,782 in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual area burnt per wildfire vs number of fires?
- Australia ranks 3rd 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 36.7%. 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 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).