Forest fires — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand: Forest fires — Burned Area was 126,361 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
Australia and New Zealand recorded 126,361 ha for forest fires — burned area in 2024.
The figure is down 21.5% on the previous year and down 65.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 3.28 million ha in 2019 and was at its lowest, 65,611 ha, in 2021.
Australia and New Zealand ranks 20th 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.
Forest fires — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 542,498 ha | — |
| 1991 | 542,498 ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 542,498 ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 542,498 ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 542,498 ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 542,498 ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 541,251 ha | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 810,411 ha | +49.7% |
| 1998 | 629,176 ha | -22.4% |
| 1999 | 819,241 ha | +30.2% |
| 2000 | 311,461 ha | -62.0% |
| 2001 | 494,930 ha | +58.9% |
| 2002 | 743,925 ha | +50.3% |
| 2003 | 1.18 million ha | +58.3% |
| 2004 | 131,170 ha | -88.9% |
| 2005 | 115,648 ha | -11.8% |
| 2006 | 958,616 ha | +728.9% |
| 2007 | 360,756 ha | -62.4% |
| 2008 | 69,186 ha | -80.8% |
| 2009 | 558,134 ha | +706.7% |
| 2010 | 88,575 ha | -84.1% |
| 2011 | 207,339 ha | +134.1% |
| 2012 | 322,025 ha | +55.3% |
| 2013 | 493,664 ha | +53.3% |
| 2014 | 362,083 ha | -26.7% |
| 2015 | 227,833 ha | -37.1% |
| 2016 | 295,039 ha | +29.5% |
| 2017 | 187,456 ha | -36.5% |
| 2018 | 316,749 ha | +69.0% |
| 2019 | 3.28 million ha | +936.6% |
| 2020 | 1.81 million ha | -45.0% |
| 2021 | 65,611 ha | -96.4% |
| 2022 | 67,993 ha | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 160,980 ha | +136.8% |
| 2024 | 126,361 ha | -21.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 605,507 ha | 541,251 ha | 819,241 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 492,137 ha | 69,186 ha | 1.18 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 578,427 ha | 88,575 ha | 3.28 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 445,343 ha | 65,611 ha | 1.81 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand
More climate change data for Australia and New Zealand
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 164,901 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 46,145 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 118,756 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 174.13 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4,241 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 13,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,657 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,510 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 43.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 53.94 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest fires — burned area in Australia and New Zealand?
- Forest fires — burned area in Australia and New Zealand was 126,361 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 3.28 million ha in 2019.
- What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,611 ha in 2021.
- How does Australia and New Zealand rank for forest fires — burned area?
- Australia and New Zealand ranks 20th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.1%. 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 Forest fires — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.