Area burned wildfires by type in Australia
Australia: Area burned wildfires by type was 46.69 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
46.69 million
Change on year
up 46.6%
World rank
1st
of 225 countries
All-time high
81.02 million
in 2012
All-time low
11.10 million
in 2020
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Area burned wildfires by type in Australia, 2002–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 46.69 million for area burned wildfires by type in 2025.
That represents a change of up 46.6% on the previous year and up 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned wildfires by type in Australia peaked at 81.02 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 11.10 million, in 2020.
Australia ranks 1st of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Area burned wildfires by type in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 68.50 million | — |
| 2003 | 24.40 million | -64.4% |
| 2004 | 57.91 million | +137.3% |
| 2005 | 21.83 million | -62.3% |
| 2006 | 50.24 million | +130.2% |
| 2007 | 47.35 million | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 27.12 million | -42.7% |
| 2009 | 32.55 million | +20.0% |
| 2010 | 15.84 million | -51.3% |
| 2011 | 80.03 million | +405.2% |
| 2012 | 81.02 million | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 23.11 million | -71.5% |
| 2014 | 39.58 million | +71.3% |
| 2015 | 36.20 million | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 19.67 million | -45.7% |
| 2017 | 44.65 million | +127.0% |
| 2018 | 47.01 million | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 26.32 million | -44.0% |
| 2020 | 11.10 million | -57.8% |
| 2021 | 22.99 million | +107.0% |
| 2022 | 24.90 million | +8.3% |
| 2023 | 67.08 million | +169.4% |
| 2024 | 31.86 million | -52.5% |
| 2025 | 46.69 million | +46.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 46.69 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.93, 1087580.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.24 million | 21.83 million | 68.50 million | 8 |
| 2010s | 41.34 million | 15.84 million | 81.02 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.10 million | 11.10 million | 67.08 million | 6 |
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 area burned wildfires by type in Australia?
- Area burned wildfires by type in Australia was 46.69 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest area burned wildfires by type recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 81.02 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest area burned wildfires by type recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.10 million in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for area burned wildfires by type?
- Australia ranks 1st out of 225 countries with data for 2025.
- Is area burned wildfires by type rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. 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 Area burned wildfires by 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).