Land use hidden — Other areas in Australia

Australia: Land use hidden — Other areas was 2.72 million Square kilometres in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.72 million Square kilometres
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
4th
of 202 countries
All-time high
3.01 million Square kilometres
in 1989
All-time low
1.66 million Square kilometres
in 1994
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Land use hidden — Other areas in Australia, 1961–2023

01.0M2.0M3.0M196119922023

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Square kilometres.

Analysis

Australia recorded 2.72 million Square kilometres for land use hidden — other areas in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, land use hidden — other areas in Australia peaked at 3.01 million Square kilometres in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1.66 million Square kilometres, in 1994.

That places Australia 4th out of 202 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Land use hidden — Other areas in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Land use hidden — Other areas in Australia, 1961 to 2023.
Year Square kilometres Change
1961 2.94 million Square kilometres —
1962 2.92 million Square kilometres -0.7%
1963 2.89 million Square kilometres -1.0%
1964 2.86 million Square kilometres -0.9%
1965 2.82 million Square kilometres -1.5%
1966 2.81 million Square kilometres -0.3%
1967 2.79 million Square kilometres -0.9%
1968 2.55 million Square kilometres -8.6%
1969 2.57 million Square kilometres +1.1%
1970 2.75 million Square kilometres +6.8%
1971 2.69 million Square kilometres -2.2%
1972 2.68 million Square kilometres -0.1%
1973 2.70 million Square kilometres +0.7%
1974 2.68 million Square kilometres -0.9%
1975 2.69 million Square kilometres +0.3%
1976 2.67 million Square kilometres -0.4%
1977 2.77 million Square kilometres +3.5%
1978 2.72 million Square kilometres -1.7%
1979 2.75 million Square kilometres +1.1%
1980 2.73 million Square kilometres -0.9%
1981 2.73 million Square kilometres +0.0%
1982 2.77 million Square kilometres +1.8%
1983 2.84 million Square kilometres +2.5%
1984 2.82 million Square kilometres -1.0%
1985 2.81 million Square kilometres -0.1%
1986 3.00 million Square kilometres +6.5%
1987 2.97 million Square kilometres -0.8%
1988 2.96 million Square kilometres -0.3%
1989 3.01 million Square kilometres +1.7%
1990 1.70 million Square kilometres -43.6%
1991 1.72 million Square kilometres +1.1%
1992 1.69 million Square kilometres -1.8%
1993 1.75 million Square kilometres +3.6%
1994 1.66 million Square kilometres -5.1%
1995 1.72 million Square kilometres +3.6%
1996 1.70 million Square kilometres -1.0%
1997 1.74 million Square kilometres +1.9%
1998 1.72 million Square kilometres -0.8%
1999 1.83 million Square kilometres +6.0%
2000 1.81 million Square kilometres -0.9%
2001 1.81 million Square kilometres -0.0%
2002 1.90 million Square kilometres +4.9%
2003 1.98 million Square kilometres +4.1%
2004 2.42 million Square kilometres +22.7%
2005 2.27 million Square kilometres -6.2%
2006 2.28 million Square kilometres +0.5%
2007 2.40 million Square kilometres +4.9%
2008 2.49 million Square kilometres +3.9%
2009 2.54 million Square kilometres +2.1%
2010 2.62 million Square kilometres +3.2%
2011 2.42 million Square kilometres -7.8%
2012 2.50 million Square kilometres +3.4%
2013 2.65 million Square kilometres +5.8%
2014 2.61 million Square kilometres -1.3%
2015 2.87 million Square kilometres +9.8%
2016 2.93 million Square kilometres +1.9%
2017 2.63 million Square kilometres -10.0%
2018 2.76 million Square kilometres +4.9%
2019 2.73 million Square kilometres -1.3%
2020 2.79 million Square kilometres +2.5%
2021 2.72 million Square kilometres -2.8%
2022 2.72 million Square kilometres +0.0%
2023 2.72 million Square kilometres +0.1%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 2.72 million Square kilometres is above the median for high income countries, which is 10,068 Square kilometres, 270.1× the median. (71 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 2.72 million Square kilometres is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5,897 Square kilometres, 461.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Land use hidden — Other areas 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
1990 -43.6% 3.01 million Square kilometres 1.70 million Square kilometres

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.79 million Square kilometres 2.55 million Square kilometres 2.94 million Square kilometres 9
1970s 2.71 million Square kilometres 2.67 million Square kilometres 2.77 million Square kilometres 10
1980s 2.86 million Square kilometres 2.73 million Square kilometres 3.01 million Square kilometres 10
1990s 1.72 million Square kilometres 1.66 million Square kilometres 1.83 million Square kilometres 10
2000s 2.19 million Square kilometres 1.81 million Square kilometres 2.54 million Square kilometres 10
2010s 2.67 million Square kilometres 2.42 million Square kilometres 2.93 million Square kilometres 10
2020s 2.74 million Square kilometres 2.72 million Square kilometres 2.79 million Square kilometres 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 1 OECD 11.56 million Square kilometres compare
  2. 1 Mauritania 630,636 Square kilometres compare
  3. 2 Ethiopia 575,434 Square kilometres compare
  4. 2 Russia 6.07 million Square kilometres compare
  5. 3 Canada 4.75 million Square kilometres compare
  6. 3 Madagascar 48,948 Square kilometres compare
  7. 4 Croatia 21,634 Square kilometres compare
  8. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 687,582 Square kilometres compare
  9. 5 Türkiye 156,866 Square kilometres compare
  10. 5 China 1.96 million Square kilometres compare
  11. 6 Poland 65,480 Square kilometres compare
  12. 6 Algeria 1.95 million Square kilometres compare
  13. 7 United States 1.83 million Square kilometres compare
  14. 7 Lesotho 6,407 Square kilometres compare
  15. 7 Syrian Arab Republic 42,349 Square kilometres compare

See the full ranking of 230 places →

More environment data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is land use hidden — other areas in Australia?
Land use hidden — other areas in Australia was 2.72 million Square kilometres in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest land use hidden — other areas recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 3.01 million Square kilometres in 1989.
What is the lowest land use hidden — other areas recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.66 million Square kilometres in 1994.
How does Australia rank for land use hidden — other areas?
Australia ranks 4th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
Is land use hidden — other areas rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Land use hidden — Other areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Land use hidden — Other areas in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 06 October 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-use-hidden-other-areas/australia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/land-use-hidden-other-areas/australia/">Land use hidden — Other areas in Australia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Land use hidden — Other areas
Unit
Square kilometres
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
230 places, 13,416 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Land resources are one of the four components of the natural environment: water, air, land and living resources. In this context land is both: a physical "milieu" necessary for the development of natural vegetation as well as cultivated vegetation; a resource for human activities. The data presented here give information concerning land use state and changes (e.g. agricultural land, forest land). Data source(s): Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., (FAOSTAT) Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: June 3, 2024 Database documentation Countries metadata