Forest fires — Emissions in Australia

Australia: Forest fires — Emissions was 1.33 kt in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.33 kt
Change on year
down 22.2%
World rank
21st
of 219 countries
All-time high
34.75 kt
in 2019
All-time low
0.7015 kt
in 2021
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Forest fires — Emissions in Australia, 1990–2024

01020301990200720241990: 5.9 kt1991: 5.9 kt1992: 5.9 kt1993: 5.9 kt1994: 5.9 kt1995: 5.9 kt1996: 6.4 kt1997: 9.6 kt1998: 7.4 kt1999: 9.4 kt2000: 3.8 kt2001: 5.3 kt2002: 7.9 kt2003: 12.5 kt2004: 1.4 kt2005: 1.2 kt2006: 10.1 kt2007: 3.8 kt2008: 0.737 kt2009: 5.9 kt2010: 0.936 kt2011: 2.2 kt2012: 3.4 kt2013: 5.2 kt2014: 3.9 kt2015: 2.4 kt2016: 3.1 kt2017: 2 kt2018: 3.4 kt2019: 34.7 kt2020: 19.1 kt2021: 0.702 kt2022: 0.722 kt2023: 1.7 kt2024: 1.3 kt

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for forest fires — emissions in Australia is 1.33 kt, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of 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 34.75 kt in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.7015 kt, 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 — Emissions in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Forest fires — Emissions (N2O) in Australia, 1990 to 2024.
Year kt Change
1990 5.88 kt —
1991 5.88 kt +0.0%
1992 5.88 kt +0.0%
1993 5.88 kt +0.0%
1994 5.88 kt +0.0%
1995 5.88 kt +0.0%
1996 6.39 kt +8.6%
1997 9.59 kt +50.1%
1998 7.43 kt -22.5%
1999 9.4 kt +26.4%
2000 3.83 kt -59.3%
2001 5.27 kt +37.7%
2002 7.89 kt +49.9%
2003 12.48 kt +58.0%
2004 1.4 kt -88.8%
2005 1.25 kt -10.7%
2006 10.15 kt +713.2%
2007 3.81 kt -62.4%
2008 0.7372 kt -80.7%
2009 5.94 kt +705.7%
2010 0.9363 kt -84.2%
2011 2.22 kt +136.8%
2012 3.43 kt +54.9%
2013 5.24 kt +52.6%
2014 3.86 kt -26.4%
2015 2.42 kt -37.2%
2016 3.14 kt +29.5%
2017 1.99 kt -36.6%
2018 3.42 kt +72.0%
2019 34.75 kt +914.8%
2020 19.11 kt -45.0%
2021 0.7015 kt -96.3%
2022 0.7215 kt +2.9%
2023 1.71 kt +137.6%
2024 1.33 kt -22.2%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 1.33 kt is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0005 kt, 2667.4× the median. (27 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.

YearChange FromTo
2019 +914.8% 3.42 kt 34.75 kt
2006 +713.2% 1.25 kt 10.15 kt
2009 +705.7% 0.7372 kt 5.94 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.81 kt 5.88 kt 9.59 kt 10
2000s 5.27 kt 0.7372 kt 12.48 kt 10
2010s 6.14 kt 0.9363 kt 34.75 kt 10
2020s 4.72 kt 0.7015 kt 19.11 kt 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 18 Congo 1.88 kt compare
  2. 19 Ethiopia 1.5 kt compare
  3. 20 Australia and New Zealand 1.34 kt compare
  4. 22 Guatemala 1.31 kt compare
  5. 23 Honduras 1.3 kt compare
  6. 24 Madagascar 1.27 kt compare
  7. 24 Caribbean 0.1524 kt compare

See the full ranking of 272 places →

More climate change data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is forest fires — emissions in Australia?
Forest fires — emissions in Australia was 1.33 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 34.75 kt in 2019.
What is the lowest forest fires — emissions recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7015 kt in 2021.
How does Australia rank for forest fires — emissions?
Australia ranks 21st out of 219 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 (N2O). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Forest fires — Emissions in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/forest-fires-emissions-n2o-fao-tier-1/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Forest fires — Emissions (N2O)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
272 places, 9,294 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.