Share of land defined as natural habitat in Australia
Australia: Share of land defined as natural habitat was 52.13 in 2010. ▼ Falling
Share of land defined as natural habitat in Australia, 1780–2010
Source: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2010, share of land defined as natural habitat in Australia stood at 52.13.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land defined as natural habitat in Australia peaked at 98.05 in 1780 and was at its lowest, 39.71, in 1970.
Australia ranks 97th of 168 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 98.05 | 98.05 | 98.05 | 1 |
| 1790s | 98.05 | 98.05 | 98.05 | 1 |
| 1800s | 98.05 | 98.05 | 98.05 | 1 |
| 1810s | 98.05 | 98.05 | 98.05 | 1 |
| 1820s | 98.05 | 98.05 | 98.05 | 1 |
| 1830s | 98 | 98 | 98 | 1 |
| 1840s | 97.78 | 97.78 | 97.78 | 1 |
| 1850s | 95.14 | 95.14 | 95.14 | 1 |
| 1860s | 93.81 | 93.81 | 93.81 | 1 |
| 1870s | 91.92 | 91.92 | 91.92 | 1 |
| 1880s | 89.27 | 89.27 | 89.27 | 1 |
| 1890s | 85.41 | 85.41 | 85.41 | 1 |
| 1900s | 79.9 | 79.9 | 79.9 | 1 |
| 1910s | 71.88 | 71.88 | 71.88 | 1 |
| 1920s | 60.14 | 60.14 | 60.14 | 1 |
| 1930s | 55.92 | 55.92 | 55.92 | 1 |
| 1940s | 51.26 | 51.26 | 51.26 | 1 |
| 1950s | 46.11 | 46.11 | 46.11 | 1 |
| 1960s | 40.79 | 40.79 | 40.79 | 1 |
| 1970s | 39.71 | 39.71 | 39.71 | 1 |
| 1980s | 40.35 | 40.35 | 40.35 | 1 |
| 1990s | 43.49 | 43.49 | 43.49 | 1 |
| 2000s | 46.6 | 46.6 | 46.6 | 1 |
| 2010s | 52.13 | 52.13 | 52.13 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 share of land defined as natural habitat in Australia?
- Share of land defined as natural habitat in Australia was 52.13 in 2010, according to Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land defined as natural habitat recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 98.05 in 1780.
- What is the lowest share of land defined as natural habitat recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.71 in 1970.
- How does Australia rank for share of land defined as natural habitat?
- Australia ranks 97th out of 168 countries with data for 2010.
- Is share of land defined as natural habitat rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land defined as natural habitat. 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
Natural ecosystems include forest, grassland, savanna, and shrublands, and other classes such as peatlands and marshes. It is total land minus land that is used by humans for agriculture – either croplands or pasture – or for infrastructure and urban environments.