Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand: Closed shrubland — Burned Area was 307,633 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
307,633 ha
Change on year
down 65.1%
World rank
2nd
of 219 countries
All-time high
2.79 million ha
in 2001
All-time low
266,535 ha
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand, 1990–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M1990200720241990: 1.0M ha1991: 1.0M ha1992: 1.0M ha1993: 1.0M ha1994: 1.0M ha1995: 1.0M ha1996: 337.0k ha1997: 266.5k ha1998: 328.4k ha1999: 437.3k ha2000: 488.4k ha2001: 2.8M ha2002: 1.5M ha2003: 793.2k ha2004: 1.5M ha2005: 1.1M ha2006: 1.2M ha2007: 2.2M ha2008: 1.2M ha2009: 1.5M ha2010: 487.3k ha2011: 909.5k ha2012: 2.0M ha2013: 1.2M ha2014: 1.6M ha2015: 1.3M ha2016: 659.4k ha2017: 619.1k ha2018: 1.2M ha2019: 1.1M ha2020: 497.0k ha2021: 778.0k ha2022: 823.4k ha2023: 881.0k ha2024: 307.6k ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.

Analysis

In 2024, closed shrubland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand stood at 307,633 ha.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 65.1% on the previous year and down 81.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, closed shrubland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 2.79 million ha in 2001 and was at its lowest, 266,535 ha, in 1997.

Australia and New Zealand ranks 2nd of 219 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 1.04 million ha
1991 1.04 million ha +0.0%
1992 1.04 million ha +0.0%
1993 1.04 million ha +0.0%
1994 1.04 million ha +0.0%
1995 1.04 million ha +0.0%
1996 337,025 ha -67.6%
1997 266,535 ha -20.9%
1998 328,362 ha +23.2%
1999 437,261 ha +33.2%
2000 488,350 ha +11.7%
2001 2.79 million ha +472.1%
2002 1.55 million ha -44.7%
2003 793,243 ha -48.7%
2004 1.50 million ha +89.6%
2005 1.14 million ha -24.5%
2006 1.19 million ha +4.7%
2007 2.25 million ha +89.0%
2008 1.20 million ha -46.8%
2009 1.53 million ha +27.5%
2010 487,328 ha -68.0%
2011 909,471 ha +86.6%
2012 1.95 million ha +114.5%
2013 1.17 million ha -39.9%
2014 1.62 million ha +38.2%
2015 1.33 million ha -18.1%
2016 659,371 ha -50.4%
2017 619,056 ha -6.1%
2018 1.25 million ha +101.3%
2019 1.13 million ha -9.1%
2020 497,040 ha -56.1%
2021 777,956 ha +56.5%
2022 823,420 ha +5.8%
2023 880,976 ha +7.0%
2024 307,633 ha -65.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 761,812 ha 266,535 ha 1.04 million ha 10
2000s 1.44 million ha 488,350 ha 2.79 million ha 10
2010s 1.11 million ha 487,328 ha 1.95 million ha 10
2020s 657,405 ha 307,633 ha 880,976 ha 5

Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand

  1. 1 OECD 330,833 ha compare
  2. 2 Australia 307,633 ha compare
  3. 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 790.95 ha compare
  4. 4 Angola 266,628 ha compare
  5. 5 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 363.64 ha compare
  6. 5 South Africa 36,154 ha compare

See the full ranking of 271 places →

More climate change data for Australia and New Zealand

All data for Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is closed shrubland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand?
Closed shrubland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand was 307,633 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest closed shrubland — burned area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 2.79 million ha in 2001.
What is the lowest closed shrubland — burned area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 266,535 ha in 1997.
How does Australia and New Zealand rank for closed shrubland — burned area?
Australia and New Zealand ranks 2nd out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
Is closed shrubland — burned area rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 81.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia and New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Closed shrubland — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Closed shrubland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/closed-shrubland-burned-area-fao-tier-1/australia-and-new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Closed shrubland — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
271 places, 9,259 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Fires consists of estimates of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from biomass burning in a range of vegetation types and from fires in organic soils.