Forest fires — Emissions in Australia
Australia: Forest fires — Emissions was 10,244 kt in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Forest fires — Emissions in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.
Analysis
Australia recorded 10,244 kt for forest fires — emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.2% on the previous year and down 65.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest fires — emissions in Australia peaked at 266,899 kt in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5,388 kt, in 2021.
That places Australia 21st out of 181 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Forest fires — Emissions in Australia, year by year
| Year | kt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 40,449 kt | — |
| 2002 | 60,639 kt | +49.9% |
| 2003 | 95,832 kt | +58.0% |
| 2004 | 10,736 kt | -88.8% |
| 2005 | 9,584 kt | -10.7% |
| 2006 | 77,940 kt | +713.2% |
| 2007 | 29,291 kt | -62.4% |
| 2008 | 5,662 kt | -80.7% |
| 2009 | 45,624 kt | +705.8% |
| 2010 | 7,192 kt | -84.2% |
| 2011 | 17,027 kt | +136.8% |
| 2012 | 26,377 kt | +54.9% |
| 2013 | 40,253 kt | +52.6% |
| 2014 | 29,626 kt | -26.4% |
| 2015 | 18,615 kt | -37.2% |
| 2016 | 24,098 kt | +29.5% |
| 2017 | 15,289 kt | -36.6% |
| 2018 | 26,299 kt | +72.0% |
| 2019 | 266,899 kt | +914.9% |
| 2020 | 146,815 kt | -45.0% |
| 2021 | 5,388 kt | -96.3% |
| 2022 | 5,542 kt | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 13,167 kt | +137.6% |
| 2024 | 10,244 kt | -22.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 10,244 kt is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.85 kt, 429.5× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forest fires — Emissions 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 | +914.9% | 26,299 kt | 266,899 kt |
| 2006 | +713.2% | 9,584 kt | 77,940 kt |
| 2009 | +705.8% | 5,662 kt | 45,624 kt |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41,751 kt | 5,662 kt | 95,832 kt | 9 |
| 2010s | 47,168 kt | 7,192 kt | 266,899 kt | 10 |
| 2020s | 36,231 kt | 5,388 kt | 146,815 kt | 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 — emissions in Australia?
- Forest fires — emissions in Australia was 10,244 kt in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest forest fires — emissions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 266,899 kt in 2019.
- What is the lowest forest fires — emissions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,388 kt in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for forest fires — emissions?
- Australia ranks 21st out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is forest fires — emissions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.4%. 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 — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 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.