Annual change in forest area in Australia
Australia: Annual change in forest area was 54,094 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual change in forest area in Australia, 1991–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Australia recorded 54,094 hectares for annual change in forest area in 2025.
That represents a change of down 79.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in forest area in Australia peaked at 267,275 hectares in 2011 and was at its lowest, -173,616 hectares, in 2001.
That places Australia 10th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -166,736 hectares | -166,736 hectares | -166,736 hectares | 9 |
| 2000s | -172,928 hectares | -173,616 hectares | -166,736 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 178,965 hectares | -173,616 hectares | 267,275 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 71,198 hectares | 54,094 hectares | 156,722 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 7 Indonesia 81,480 hectares compare
- 8 New Zealand 67,548 hectares compare
- 9 Kenya 64,470 hectares compare
- 11 Philippines 42,450 hectares compare
- 12 Uzbekistan 41,038 hectares compare
- 13 Serbia 39,680 hectares compare
More environment data for Australia
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 591.45 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 21.75 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 84.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.4769 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 43.21 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1578 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 144.58 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.104 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1978 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 15.7 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in forest area in Australia?
- Annual change in forest area in Australia was 54,094 hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in forest area recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 267,275 hectares in 2011.
- What is the lowest annual change in forest area recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was -173,616 hectares in 2001.
- How does Australia rank for annual change in forest area?
- Australia ranks 10th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change in forest area rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.8%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Net change in forest area measures forest expansion (the sum of afforestation and natural expansion) minus deforestation.