Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia
Australia: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 17,001 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia, 2002–2024
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2024, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia stood at 17,001 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.5% on the previous year and down 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia peaked at 30,439 hectares in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6,826 hectares, in 2010.
That places Australia 10th out of 225 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15,265 hectares | 7,706 hectares | 26,188 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 18,149 hectares | 6,826 hectares | 30,439 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 15,533 hectares | 9,767 hectares | 23,612 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia?
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia was 17,001 hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 30,439 hectares in 2015.
- What is the lowest wildfire area burned by land cover type recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,826 hectares in 2010.
- How does Australia rank for wildfire area burned by land cover type?
- Australia ranks 10th out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Wildfire area burned by land cover type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Area of other land types burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes wetlands, urban areas, snow and ice, bare ground, and water bodies.