Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Australia
Australia: Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year was 1.59 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Australia, 2012–2026
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2026, share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Australia stood at 1.59. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 65.5% on the previous year and down 46.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Australia peaked at 8.44 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.59, in 2026.
Australia ranks 31st of 229 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8.44 | — |
| 2013 | 3.39 | -59.8% |
| 2014 | 4.64 | +36.9% |
| 2015 | 4.39 | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 2.95 | -32.8% |
| 2017 | 4.91 | +66.3% |
| 2018 | 4.74 | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 4.7 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 2.41 | -48.7% |
| 2021 | 3.22 | +33.6% |
| 2022 | 3.4 | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 7.03 | +106.6% |
| 2024 | 3.92 | -44.3% |
| 2025 | 4.61 | +17.7% |
| 2026 | 1.59 | -65.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.77 | 2.95 | 8.44 | 8 |
| 2020s | 3.74 | 1.59 | 7.03 | 7 |
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 share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Australia?
- Share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year in Australia was 1.59 in 2026, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.44 in 2012.
- What is the lowest share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 in 2026.
- How does Australia rank for share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year?
- Australia ranks 31st out of 229 countries with data for 2026.
- Is share of the total land area burnt by wildfires each year rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.1%. 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 the total land area burnt by wildfires each year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).