Land use over the long-term in Australia
Australia: Land use over the long-term was 318.70 million hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
318.70 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
2nd
of 202 countries
All-time high
428.84 million hectares
in 1969
All-time low
0 hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in Australia, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Australia recorded 318.70 million hectares for land use over the long-term in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in Australia peaked at 428.84 million hectares in 1969 and was at its lowest, 0 hectares, in 1000.
Australia ranks 2nd of 202 countries on this measure, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 247,019 hectares | 247,019 hectares | 247,019 hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 392,578 hectares | 392,578 hectares | 392,578 hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 925,486 hectares | 925,486 hectares | 925,486 hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 1.62 million hectares | 1.62 million hectares | 1.62 million hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 2.90 million hectares | 2.90 million hectares | 2.90 million hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 5.29 million hectares | 5.29 million hectares | 5.29 million hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 9.81 million hectares | 9.81 million hectares | 9.81 million hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 18.47 million hectares | 18.47 million hectares | 18.47 million hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 29.51 million hectares | 29.51 million hectares | 29.51 million hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 42.50 million hectares | 42.50 million hectares | 42.50 million hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 65.44 million hectares | 65.44 million hectares | 65.44 million hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 94.10 million hectares | 94.10 million hectares | 94.10 million hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 128.16 million hectares | 128.16 million hectares | 128.16 million hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 168.71 million hectares | 168.71 million hectares | 168.71 million hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 217.83 million hectares | 217.83 million hectares | 217.83 million hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 265.15 million hectares | 265.15 million hectares | 265.15 million hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 367.85 million hectares | 323.25 million hectares | 409.38 million hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 419.19 million hectares | 415.05 million hectares | 428.84 million hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 425.03 million hectares | 421.14 million hectares | 427.98 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 414.69 million hectares | 407.12 million hectares | 422.77 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 392.86 million hectares | 381.12 million hectares | 408.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 361.56 million hectares | 336.63 million hectares | 383.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 322.00 million hectares | 302.09 million hectares | 342.23 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 316.62 million hectares | 311.58 million hectares | 318.70 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 China 392.61 million hectares compare
- 3 United States 257.67 million hectares compare
- 4 Brazil 210.81 million hectares compare
- 5 Kazakhstan 183.11 million 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 land use over the long-term in Australia?
- Land use over the long-term in Australia was 318.70 million hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long-term recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 428.84 million hectares in 1969.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 hectares in 1000.
- How does Australia rank for land use over the long-term?
- Australia ranks 2nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.