Grassland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand: Grassland — Burned Area was 19.49 million ha in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
19.49 million ha
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
2nd
of 220 countries
All-time high
39.94 million ha
in 2001
All-time low
6.17 million ha
in 1997
Years of data
35
1990–2024

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

10.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1990200720241990: 18.8M ha1991: 18.8M ha1992: 18.8M ha1993: 18.8M ha1994: 18.8M ha1995: 18.8M ha1996: 6.8M ha1997: 6.2M ha1998: 6.3M ha1999: 7.8M ha2000: 16.4M ha2001: 39.9M ha2002: 23.7M ha2003: 16.8M ha2004: 34.9M ha2005: 16.2M ha2006: 25.8M ha2007: 24.9M ha2008: 18.3M ha2009: 23.2M ha2010: 10.8M ha2011: 28.6M ha2012: 33.3M ha2013: 14.1M ha2014: 21.3M ha2015: 18.0M ha2016: 13.4M ha2017: 18.0M ha2018: 23.8M ha2019: 15.7M ha2020: 8.5M ha2021: 16.1M ha2022: 15.4M ha2023: 20.8M ha2024: 19.5M ha

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

Analysis

In 2024, grassland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand stood at 19.49 million ha.

The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, grassland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 39.94 million ha in 2001 and was at its lowest, 6.17 million ha, in 1997.

Australia and New Zealand ranks 2nd of 220 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Grassland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Grassland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand, 1990 to 2024.
Year ha Change
1990 18.77 million ha
1991 18.77 million ha +0.0%
1992 18.77 million ha +0.0%
1993 18.77 million ha +0.0%
1994 18.77 million ha +0.0%
1995 18.77 million ha +0.0%
1996 6.80 million ha -63.8%
1997 6.17 million ha -9.3%
1998 6.30 million ha +2.1%
1999 7.82 million ha +24.1%
2000 16.37 million ha +109.3%
2001 39.94 million ha +144.0%
2002 23.65 million ha -40.8%
2003 16.79 million ha -29.0%
2004 34.92 million ha +107.9%
2005 16.18 million ha -53.7%
2006 25.84 million ha +59.7%
2007 24.91 million ha -3.6%
2008 18.31 million ha -26.5%
2009 23.18 million ha +26.6%
2010 10.82 million ha -53.3%
2011 28.56 million ha +164.0%
2012 33.26 million ha +16.5%
2013 14.07 million ha -57.7%
2014 21.27 million ha +51.2%
2015 17.98 million ha -15.5%
2016 13.41 million ha -25.4%
2017 17.99 million ha +34.1%
2018 23.83 million ha +32.4%
2019 15.66 million ha -34.3%
2020 8.53 million ha -45.5%
2021 16.08 million ha +88.4%
2022 15.39 million ha -4.3%
2023 20.83 million ha +35.3%
2024 19.49 million ha -6.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 13.97 million ha 6.17 million ha 18.77 million ha 10
2000s 24.01 million ha 16.18 million ha 39.94 million ha 10
2010s 19.68 million ha 10.82 million ha 33.26 million ha 10
2020s 16.06 million ha 8.53 million ha 20.83 million ha 5

Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand

  1. 1 OECD 21.84 million ha compare
  2. 3 Australia 19.49 million ha compare
  3. 3 United Republic of Tanzania 2.91 million ha compare
  4. 4 Sudan (former) 14.48 million ha compare
  5. 4 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 2.48 million ha compare
  6. 5 Angola 13.51 million ha compare

See the full ranking of 273 places →

More climate change data for Australia and New Zealand

All data for Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is grassland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand?
Grassland — burned area in Australia and New Zealand was 19.49 million ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest grassland — burned area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 39.94 million ha in 2001.
What is the lowest grassland — burned area recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 6.17 million ha in 1997.
How does Australia and New Zealand rank for grassland — burned area?
Australia and New Zealand ranks 2nd out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
Is grassland — burned area rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Grassland — Burned Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Grassland — Burned Area in Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/grassland-burned-area-fao-tier-1/australia-and-new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Grassland — Burned Area
Unit
ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
273 places, 9,329 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.