Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia
Australia: Wildfire area burned by land cover type was 14,189 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia, 2002–2025
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2025, wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia stood at 14,189 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.5% on the previous year and down 53.4% 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 5th out of 225 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 26,188 hectares | — |
| 2003 | 15,692 hectares | -40.1% |
| 2004 | 11,892 hectares | -24.2% |
| 2005 | 13,888 hectares | +16.8% |
| 2006 | 15,584 hectares | +12.2% |
| 2007 | 8,629 hectares | -44.6% |
| 2008 | 7,706 hectares | -10.7% |
| 2009 | 22,539 hectares | +192.5% |
| 2010 | 6,826 hectares | -69.7% |
| 2011 | 13,030 hectares | +90.9% |
| 2012 | 12,815 hectares | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 19,641 hectares | +53.3% |
| 2014 | 23,419 hectares | +19.2% |
| 2015 | 30,439 hectares | +30.0% |
| 2016 | 15,627 hectares | -48.7% |
| 2017 | 13,760 hectares | -12.0% |
| 2018 | 17,988 hectares | +30.7% |
| 2019 | 27,949 hectares | +55.4% |
| 2020 | 23,612 hectares | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 11,763 hectares | -50.2% |
| 2022 | 9,767 hectares | -17.0% |
| 2023 | 15,520 hectares | +58.9% |
| 2024 | 17,001 hectares | +9.5% |
| 2025 | 14,189 hectares | -16.5% |
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 | 15,309 hectares | 9,767 hectares | 23,612 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 2 Canada 51,776 hectares compare
- 3 Democratic Republic of Congo 39,841 hectares compare
- 4 South Sudan 20,886 hectares compare
- 6 Argentina 13,330 hectares compare
- 7 Congo 13,008 hectares compare
- 8 United States 12,300 hectares 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 wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia?
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type in Australia was 14,189 hectares in 2025, 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 5th out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wildfire area burned by land cover type rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.4%. 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 — 24 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.