Annual area burnt per wildfire in Australia
Australia: Annual area burnt per wildfire was 635.26 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual area burnt per wildfire in Australia, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual area burnt per wildfire in Australia is 635.26, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 30.1% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual area burnt per wildfire in Australia peaked at 1,175 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 635.26, in 2026.
Australia ranks 6th of 182 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual area burnt per wildfire in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,175 | — |
| 2013 | 810.03 | -31.1% |
| 2014 | 895.15 | +10.5% |
| 2015 | 877.36 | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 695.48 | -20.7% |
| 2017 | 791.31 | +13.8% |
| 2018 | 855.56 | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 1,056 | +23.4% |
| 2020 | 666.96 | -36.8% |
| 2021 | 663.99 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 716.93 | +8.0% |
| 2023 | 1,085 | +51.3% |
| 2024 | 875.63 | -19.3% |
| 2025 | 908.5 | +3.8% |
| 2026 | 635.26 | -30.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 635.26 is above the median for high income countries, which is 212.67, 3.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Australia's 635.26 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 286.12, 2.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 894.45 | 695.48 | 1,175 | 8 |
| 2020s | 793.14 | 635.26 | 1,085 | 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 per wildfire in Australia?
- Annual area burnt per wildfire in Australia was 635.26 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual area burnt per wildfire recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1,175 in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual area burnt per wildfire recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 635.26 in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual area burnt per wildfire?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 182 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual area burnt per wildfire rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. 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. 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).