Annual number of wildfires in Australia
Australia: Annual number of wildfires was 20,782 wildfires in 2026. ▼ Falling
Annual number of wildfires in Australia, 2012–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in wildfires.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual number of wildfires in Australia is 20,782 wildfires, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 47.1% on the previous year and down 36.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of wildfires in Australia peaked at 55,570 wildfires in 2012 and was at its lowest, 20,782 wildfires, in 2026.
Australia ranks 3rd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40,625 wildfires | 32,394 wildfires | 55,570 wildfires | 8 |
| 2020s | 35,314 wildfires | 20,782 wildfires | 50,172 wildfires | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 44,861 wildfires compare
- 2 Angola 28,133 wildfires compare
- 4 South Sudan 14,468 wildfires compare
- 5 India 13,557 wildfires compare
- 6 Zambia 13,090 wildfires compare
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 annual number of wildfires in Australia?
- Annual number of wildfires in Australia was 20,782 wildfires in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of wildfires recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 55,570 wildfires in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual number of wildfires recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,782 wildfires in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for annual number of wildfires?
- Australia ranks 3rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual number of wildfires 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 Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of wildfires. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 07 August 2026.