Forest fires — Burned Area in Australia
Australia: Forest fires — Burned Area was 125,716 ha in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Burned Area in Australia, 1990–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
In 2024, forest fires — burned area in Australia stood at 125,716 ha.
That represents a change of down 21.8% on the previous year and down 65.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — burned area in Australia peaked at 3.28 million ha in 2019 and was at its lowest, 65,246 ha, in 2021.
That places Australia 21st out of 219 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 542,235 ha | — |
| 1991 | 542,235 ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 542,235 ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 542,235 ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 542,235 ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 542,235 ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 541,108 ha | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 810,340 ha | +49.8% |
| 1998 | 629,093 ha | -22.4% |
| 1999 | 819,168 ha | +30.2% |
| 2000 | 311,098 ha | -62.0% |
| 2001 | 494,501 ha | +59.0% |
| 2002 | 743,925 ha | +50.4% |
| 2003 | 1.18 million ha | +58.3% |
| 2004 | 131,128 ha | -88.9% |
| 2005 | 115,648 ha | -11.8% |
| 2006 | 958,573 ha | +728.9% |
| 2007 | 359,789 ha | -62.5% |
| 2008 | 68,907 ha | -80.8% |
| 2009 | 558,005 ha | +709.8% |
| 2010 | 88,446 ha | -84.1% |
| 2011 | 207,317 ha | +134.4% |
| 2012 | 321,767 ha | +55.2% |
| 2013 | 493,407 ha | +53.3% |
| 2014 | 362,083 ha | -26.6% |
| 2015 | 227,833 ha | -37.1% |
| 2016 | 295,039 ha | +29.5% |
| 2017 | 187,025 ha | -36.6% |
| 2018 | 316,749 ha | +69.4% |
| 2019 | 3.28 million ha | +936.1% |
| 2020 | 1.81 million ha | -45.0% |
| 2021 | 65,246 ha | -96.4% |
| 2022 | 67,821 ha | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 160,679 ha | +136.9% |
| 2024 | 125,716 ha | -21.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 125,716 ha is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.81 ha, 2936.6× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forest fires — Burned Area in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +936.1% | 316,749 ha | 3.28 million ha |
| 2006 | +728.9% | 115,648 ha | 958,573 ha |
| 2009 | +709.8% | 68,907 ha | 558,005 ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 605,312 ha | 541,108 ha | 819,168 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 491,890 ha | 68,907 ha | 1.18 million ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 578,161 ha | 88,446 ha | 3.28 million ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 444,918 ha | 65,246 ha | 1.81 million ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest fires — burned area in Australia?
- Forest fires — burned area in Australia was 125,716 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — burned area recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.28 million ha in 2019.
- What is the lowest forest fires — burned area recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,246 ha in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for forest fires — burned area?
- Australia ranks 21st out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — burned area rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia 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.