Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in Australia
Australia: Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces was 3,732 Square kilometres in 2022. ▲ Rising
Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in Australia, 2005–2022
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.
Analysis
Australia recorded 3,732 Square kilometres for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in 2022. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is up 10.0% on the previous year and up 50.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in Australia peaked at 3,732 Square kilometres in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1,811 Square kilometres, in 2005.
That places Australia 21st out of 164 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces in Australia, year by year
| Year | Square kilometres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1,811 Square kilometres | — |
| 2010 | 2,474 Square kilometres | +36.6% |
| 2015 | 2,872 Square kilometres | +16.1% |
| 2020 | 3,393 Square kilometres | +18.1% |
| 2022 | 3,732 Square kilometres | +10.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 3,732 Square kilometres is above the median for high income countries, which is 341.42 Square kilometres, 10.9× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Australia's 3,732 Square kilometres is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 412.11 Square kilometres, 9.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,811 Square kilometres | 1,811 Square kilometres | 1,811 Square kilometres | 1 |
| 2010s | 2,673 Square kilometres | 2,474 Square kilometres | 2,872 Square kilometres | 2 |
| 2020s | 3,562 Square kilometres | 3,393 Square kilometres | 3,732 Square kilometres | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 18 Spain 4,609 Square kilometres compare
- 19 Canada 4,307 Square kilometres compare
- 20 Romania 4,236 Square kilometres compare
- 21 Ethiopia 1,044 Square kilometres compare
- 22 Moldova 899.86 Square kilometres compare
- 22 Thailand 3,691 Square kilometres compare
- 23 United Kingdom 3,413 Square kilometres compare
- 24 Kazakhstan 3,174 Square kilometres compare
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate -5.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in Australia?
- Land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces in Australia was 3,732 Square kilometres in 2022, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3,732 Square kilometres in 2022.
- What is the lowest land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,811 Square kilometres in 2005.
- How does Australia rank for land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces?
- Australia ranks 21st out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is land cover and land cover change — gain of artificial surfaces rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The land cover dataset provides a global assessment of land cover and land cover change to monitor pressures on ecosystems and biodiversity. By using geospatial data with high spatio-temporal resolution, it develops a set of internationally comparable indicators with a long time series and a five-year interval from 2000 to 2022 for the Climate Change Initiative Land Cover dataset, and from 1975 to 2030 for the Global Human Settlement Layer dataset. Please see the working paper for a more complete description of the methods. The dataset has a global coverage on the national level, while on the sub-national TL2 level (i.e. large subnational regions) results are reported for all OECD countries as well as for Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa. The following country aggregates are included: Euro area, European Union, Advanced economies, Emerging market economies, G7, G20, OECD, OECD Europe, OECD Asia Oceania, OECD Americas, the LAC region and the World. Data source(s): Climate Change Initiative land cover data and Global Human Settlement Layer built-up area data. Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Database documentation