Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Australia

Australia: Share of land covered by lakes and rivers was 0.06 in 2022. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2022)
0.06
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
175th
of 207 countries
All-time high
0.08
in 2001
All-time low
0.06
in 2006
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Australia, 2000–2022

00.020.040.060.082000201120222000: 0.072001: 0.082002: 0.082003: 0.082004: 0.072005: 0.072006: 0.062007: 0.062008: 0.062009: 0.062010: 0.062011: 0.062012: 0.072013: 0.082014: 0.082015: 0.082016: 0.082017: 0.072018: 0.062019: 0.062020: 0.062021: 0.062022: 0.06

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2022, share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Australia stood at 0.06. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 14.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Australia peaked at 0.08 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.06, in 2006.

That places Australia 175th out of 207 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.069 0.06 0.08 10
2010s 0.07 0.06 0.08 10
2020s 0.06 0.06 0.06 3

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 172 Central African Republic 0.07 compare
  2. 172 Equatorial Guinea 0.07 compare
  3. 172 Sudan 0.07 compare
  4. 175 Malta 0.06 compare
  5. 175 Panama 0.06 compare
  6. 175 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.06 compare

See the full ranking of 207 places β†’

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Australia?
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Australia was 0.06 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 0.08 in 2001.
What is the lowest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.06 in 2006.
How does Australia rank for share of land covered by lakes and rivers?
Australia ranks 175th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
Is share of land covered by lakes and rivers rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. 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 Share of land covered by lakes and rivers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-land-covered-by-lakes-and-rivers/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
207 places, 4,761 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed