Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Australia
Australia: Area burned by wildfires by land cover type was 31.86 million hectares in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Area burned by wildfires 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
Australia recorded 31.86 million hectares for area burned by wildfires by land cover type in 2024.
That represents a change of down 52.5% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Australia peaked at 81.02 million hectares in 2012 and was at its lowest, 11.10 million hectares, in 2020.
Australia ranks 1st of 225 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.24 million hectares | 21.83 million hectares | 68.50 million hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 41.34 million hectares | 15.84 million hectares | 81.02 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.58 million hectares | 11.10 million hectares | 67.08 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Australia?
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type in Australia was 31.86 million hectares in 2024, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 81.02 million hectares in 2012.
- What is the lowest area burned by wildfires by land cover type recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.10 million hectares in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for area burned by wildfires by land cover type?
- Australia ranks 1st out of 225 countries with data for 2024.
- Is area burned by wildfires by land cover type rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Area burned by wildfires 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 shrubland and grassland burnt by wildfires each year, in hectares. Includes open and closed shrublands and grasslands without a significant tree cover.