Annual number of fires in Australia
Australia: Annual number of fires was 26,226 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of fires in Australia, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual number of fires in Australia is 26,226, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.2% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of fires in Australia peaked at 55,570 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 26,226, in 2026.
Australia ranks 4th of 248 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Annual number of fires in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 55,570 | — |
| 2013 | 32,394 | -41.7% |
| 2014 | 40,123 | +23.9% |
| 2015 | 38,716 | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 32,834 | -15.2% |
| 2017 | 47,990 | +46.2% |
| 2018 | 42,896 | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 34,478 | -19.6% |
| 2020 | 28,013 | -18.8% |
| 2021 | 37,589 | +34.2% |
| 2022 | 36,741 | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 50,172 | +36.6% |
| 2024 | 34,623 | -31.0% |
| 2025 | 39,281 | +13.5% |
| 2026 | 26,226 | -33.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 26,226 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1, 26226.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 26,226 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 19, 1380.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40,625 | 32,394 | 55,570 | 8 |
| 2020s | 36,092 | 26,226 | 50,172 | 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 number of fires in Australia?
- Annual number of fires in Australia was 26,226 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of fires recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 55,570 in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual number of fires recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26,226 in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual number of fires?
- Australia ranks 4th out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of fires rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. 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 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).