Australia
Commonwealth of Australia
Population
27.49M
Area
7,741,220 km²
GDP
$1.75T
GDP Per Capita
$60,100
Pop. Density
4/km²
Quick Facts
Currency
$Australian dollar(AUD)
Calling Code
+61
Primary Timezone
UTC+05:00
+7 more
Languages
English
Driving Side
left
Demonym
Australian
Background
Aboriginal Australians arrived on the continent at least 60,000 years ago and developed complex hunter-gatherer societies and oral histories. Dutch navigators led by Abel TASMAN were the first Europeans to land in Australia in 1606, and they mapped the western and northern coasts. They named the continent New Holland but made no attempts to permanently settle it. In 1770, Englishman James COOK sailed to the east coast of Australia, named it New South Wales, and claimed it for Great Britain. In 1788 and 1825 respectively, Great Britain established New South Wales and then Tasmania as penal colonies. Great Britain and Ireland sent more than 150,000 convicts to Australia before ending the practice in 1868. As Europeans began settling areas away from the coasts, they came into more direct contact with Aboriginal Australians. Europeans also cleared land for agriculture, impacting Aboriginal Australians’ ways of life. These issues, along with disease and a policy in the 1900s that forcefully removed Aboriginal children from their parents, reduced the Aboriginal Australian population from more than 700,000 pre-European contact to a low of 74,000 in 1933.
Four additional colonies were established in Australia in the mid-1800s: Western Australia (1829), South Australia (1836), Victoria (1851), and Queensland (1859). Gold rushes beginning in the 1850s brought thousands of new immigrants to New South Wales and Victoria, helping to reorient Australia away from its penal colony roots. In the second half of the 1800s, the colonies were all gradually granted self-government, and in 1901, they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia contributed more than 400,000 troops to Allied efforts during World War I, and Australian troops played a large role in the defeat of Japanese troops in the Pacific in World War II. Australia severed most constitutional links with the UK in 1942 but remained part of the British Commonwealth. Australia’s post-war economy boomed and by the 1970s, racial policies that prevented most non-Whites from immigrating to Australia were removed, greatly increasing Asian immigration to the country. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its proximity to East and Southeast Asia.
In the early 2000s, Australian politics became unstable with frequent attempts to oust party leaders, including five changes of prime minister between 2010 and 2018. As a result, both major parties instituted rules to make it harder to remove a party leader.
Historical Trends
GDP (USD)
↑134.4% since 2006Population
↑33.0% since 2006Life Expectancy at Birth
Latest: 83.1 yearsData source: World Bank Open Data
Geography21
Location
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates
27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references
Oceania
Area
land: 7,682,300 sq km
water: 58,920 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than the 48 contiguous US states
Land boundaries
Coastline
25,760 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Terrain
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Elevation
lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
mean elevation: 330 m
Natural resources
alumina, coal, iron ore, copper, lithium, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, opals, natural gas, petroleum
Land use
agricultural land
agricultural land: arable land
agricultural land: permanent crops
agricultural land: permanent pasture
forest
other
Irrigated land
19,450 sq km (2022)
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s): Lake Eyre - 9,690 sq km; Lake Torrens (ephemeral) - 5,780 sq km; Lake Gairdner - 4,470 sq km; Lake Mackay (ephemeral) - 3,494 sq km; Lake Frome - 2,410 sq km; Lake Amadeus (ephemeral) - 1,032 sq km
Major rivers (by length in km)
River Murray - 2,508 km; Darling River - 1,545 km; Murrumbidgee River - 1,485 km; Lachlan River - 1,339 km; Cooper Creek - 1,113 km; Flinders River - 1,004 km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Eyre (1,212,198 sq km)
Major aquifers
Great Artesian Basin, Canning Basin
Population distribution
population is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast; a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west; of the states and territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population; the interior, or "outback," has a very sparse population
Natural hazards
volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands
Geography - note
note 2: the Great Dividing Range that runs along eastern Australia is that continent’s longest mountain range and the third-longest land-based range in the world; the term "Great Dividing Range" refers to the fact that the mountains form a watershed crest from which all of the rivers of eastern Australia flow – east, west, north, and south
note 3: Australia is the only continent without glaciers; it is the driest inhabited continent on earth; Perth on the west coast is home to the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor," one of the most consistent winds in the world; Australia hosts 10% of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world
People & Society33
Population
male: 13,685,935
female: 13,804,986
Nationality
adjective: Australian
Ethnic groups
English 33%, Australian 29.9%, Irish 9.5%, Scottish 8.6%, Chinese 5.5%, Italian 4.4%, German 4%, Indian 3.1%, Australian Aboriginal 2.9%, Greek 1.7%, unspecified 4.7% (2021 est.)
Languages
English 72%, Mandarin 2.7%, Arabic 1.4%, Vietnamese 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2%, other 15.7%, unspecified 5.7% (2021 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant 18.1% (Anglican 9.8%, Uniting Church 2.6%, Presbyterian and Reformed 1.6%, Baptist 1.4%, Pentecostal 1%, other Protestant 1.7%), other Christian 3.5%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 2.7%, Buddhist 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3% (Eastern Orthodox 2.1%, Oriental Orthodox 0.2%), other 2.1%, none 38.4%, unspecified 7.3% (2021 est.)
Age structure
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 8,688,023/female 8,640,671)
65 years and over: 17% (2024 est.) (male 2,090,315/female 2,453,392)
Dependency ratios
youth dependency ratio: 26.7 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 26.5 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 3.8 (2025 est.)
Median age
male: 36.9 years
female: 39.2 years
Population growth rate
1.59% (2025 est.)
Birth rate
10.75 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate
11.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution
population is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast; a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west; of the states and territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population; the interior, or "outback," has a very sparse population
Urbanization
rate of urbanization: 1.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
5.235 million Melbourne, 5.121 million Sydney, 2.505 million Brisbane, 2.118 million Perth, 1.367 million Adelaide, 472,000 CANBERRA (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
28.7 years (2019 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
2 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
male: 81.3 years
female: 85.7 years
Total fertility rate
1.5 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.73 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: urban
improved: rural
improved: total
unimproved: urban
unimproved: rural
unimproved: total
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 20.2% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density
4.09 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Hospital bed density
3.8 beds/1,000 population (2016 est.)
Sanitation facility access
unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
29% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer: 3.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 3.67 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 1.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
male: 13.6% (2025 est.)
female: 9.2% (2025 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
54% (2021 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% national budget): 12.7% national budget (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male: 20 years (2023 est.)
female: 21 years (2023 est.)
Government27
Country name
conventional short form: Australia
etymology: the name Australia derives from the Latin australis meaning "southern;" the Australian landmass was long referred to as "Terra Australis," or the Southern Land
Government type
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Capital
name
geographic coordinates
time difference
daylight saving time
time zone note
etymology
Administrative divisions
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependent areas
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Jervis Bay, Norfolk Island (7)
Legal system
common law system based on the English model
Constitution
amendment process: proposed by Parliament; passage requires approval of a referendum bill by absolute majority vote in both houses of Parliament, approval in a referendum by a majority of voters in at least four states and in the territories, and Royal Assent; proposals that would reduce a state’s representation in either house or change a state’s boundaries require that state’s approval prior to Royal Assent
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch
head of government: Prime Minister Anthony ALBANESE (since 23 May 2022)
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and sworn in by the governor general
election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general
Legislative branch
legislative structure: bicameral
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
number of seats
electoral system
scope of elections
term in office
most recent election date
parties elected and seats per party
percentage of women in chamber
expected date of next election
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
number of seats
electoral system
scope of elections
term in office
most recent election date
parties elected and seats per party
percentage of women in chamber
expected date of next election
Judicial branch
judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor-general in council for life with mandatory retirement at age 70
subordinate courts: subordinate courts: at the federal level: Federal Court; Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia; at the state and territory level: Local Court - New South Wales; Magistrates' Courts – Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory; District Courts – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia; County Court – Victoria; Family Court – Western Australia; Court of Petty Sessions – Norfolk Island
Political parties
Australian Labor Party or ALP
Australia's Voice
Centre Alliance (formerly known as the Nick Xenophon Team or NXT)
Jacqui Lambie Network or JLN
Katter's Australian Party (KAP)
Liberal Party of Australia
The Nationals
Pauline Hanson's One Nation or ONP
United Australia Party
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission
chancery
telephone
FAX
email address and website
info.us@dfat.gov.au
https://usa.embassy.gov.au/
consulate(s) general
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
embassy
mailing address
telephone
FAX
email address and website
AskEmbassyCanberra@state.gov
https://au.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s) general
International organization participation
ADB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CD, CP, EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-20, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF, SAARC (observer), Quad, SICA (observer), Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Independence
1 January 1901 (from the federation of UK colonies)
National holiday
Australia Day (commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of Australian settlers), 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorates the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)
Flag
meaning: the largest star is known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star and represents the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901; the star has one point for each of the six original states, plus one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories
National symbol(s)
National color(s)
green, gold
National coat of arms
King George V of the United Kingdom granted the current Commonwealth Coat of Arms to Australia on 19 September 1912; the center of the shield has the symbols of Australia’s six states; the kangaroo and the emu symbolize a nation moving forward, since neither animal can move backward easily; the gold Commonwealth star sits above the shield, with six points representing the Australian states and the seventh representing the territories; the gold and blue in the wreath under the star are the livery, or identifying, colors for the coat of arms; Australia’s floral emblem, the golden wattle, frames the shield
National anthem(s)
lyrics/music: unknown
history: royal anthem, as a Commonwealth country
National heritage
selected World Heritage Site locales: Great Barrier Reef (n); Greater Blue Mountains Area (n); Fraser Island (n); Gondwana Rainforests (n); Lord Howe Island Group (n); Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (c); Shark Bay (n); Sydney Opera House (c); Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park (m); Kakadu National Park (m); Murujuga Cultural Landscape (c)
Economy30
Economic overview
high-income and globally integrated economy; strong mining, manufacturing, and service sectors driving slow but steady growth; net exporter, driven by commodities to East Asian trade partners; weak productivity and aging population straining labor force participation
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $1.611 trillion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $1.558 trillion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 3.4% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 4.2% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP per capita 2023: $60,500 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $59,900 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.752 trillion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 5.6% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 6.6% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry: 26% (2024 est.)
services: 65.5% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption
government consumption
investment in fixed capital
investment in inventories
exports of goods and services
imports of goods and services
Agricultural products
wheat, sugarcane, barley, rapeseed, milk, cotton, sorghum, beef, lentils, grapes (2023)
Industries
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel
Industrial production growth rate
0.5% (2024 est.)
Labor force
14.912 million (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate 2023: 3.7% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 3.8% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male: 10.2% (2024 est.)
female: 8.7% (2024 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
Average household expenditures
on alcohol and tobacco: 3.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
highest 10%: 26.2% (2018 est.)
Remittances
Remittances 2023: 0.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0.1% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget
expenditures: $453.105 billion (2022 est.)
Public debt
Taxes and other revenues
23.6% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Current account balance
Current account balance 2023: -$5.186 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $5.707 billion (2022 est.)
Exports
Exports 2023: $448.507 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $465.99 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners
China 37%, Japan 16%, S. Korea 6%, India 5%, Taiwan 5% (2023)
Exports - commodities
iron ore, coal, natural gas, gold, minerals (2023)
Imports
Imports 2023: $389.211 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $379.981 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners
China 26%, USA 11%, S. Korea 6%, Japan 6%, Thailand 5% (2023)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, cars, trucks, broadcasting equipment, garments (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $61.703 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $56.702 billion (2022 est.)
Exchange rates
Currency
Exchange rates 2024
Exchange rates 2023
Exchange rates 2022
Exchange rates 2021
Exchange rates 2020
Energy7
Electricity access
Electricity
consumption: 267.818 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 11.455 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources
solar: 17.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
wind: 11.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
hydroelectricity: 5.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal
consumption: 95.667 million metric tons (2023 est.)
exports: 348.32 million metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 630,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 149.472 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 1.151 million bbl/day (2024 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 2.446 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
consumption: 48.845 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
exports: 105.146 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
imports: 521.034 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
proven reserves: 3.228 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
Communications6
Telephones - fixed lines
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2024 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 113 (2024 est.)
Broadcast media
tradition of public broadcasting, but privately owned TV and radio have the biggest audiences; ownership of print and broadcast media is concentrated; Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) runs national and local public radio and TV; other main public broadcaster is the multilingual Special Broadcasting Service (SBS); national commercial TV is dominated by three big free-to-air networks; broadcasters must carry a minimum percentage of Australian-made programs; pay TV via cable, satellite, and IPTV has a strong foothold (2023)
Internet country code
.au
Internet users
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 36 (2023 est.)
Transportation6
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
VH
Airports
2,257 (2025)
Heliports
392 (2025)
Railways
standard gauge: 18,007 km (2022) 1.435 mm
narrow gauge: 11,914 km (2022) 1.067 mm
broad gauge: 2,685 km (2022) 1.600 mm
Merchant marine
by type: bulk carrier 2, general cargo 76, oil tanker 6, other 520
Ports
total ports
large
medium
small
very small
ports with oil terminals
key ports
Military & Security7
Military and security forces
Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force (2025)
Military expenditures
Military Expenditures 2023: 2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022: 2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021: 2% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020: 2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 60,000 active ADF personnel (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported Western weapons systems; in recent years, the US has been the largest supplier of arms; the Australian defense industry produces a variety of land and sea weapons platforms; the defense industry also participates in joint development and production ventures with other Western countries, including the US and Canada (2025)
Military service age and obligation
17 years of age (with parental consent; 18 years of age to deploy) for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (abolished 1972) (2025)
Military deployments
Military - note
Australia has been part of the Australia, New Zealand, and US Security (ANZUS) Treaty since 1951; Australia is also a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK
Australia has long-standing bi-lateral defense and security ties to the UK, including defense and security cooperation treaties in 2024 and 2013; the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) is their premier bilateral forum on foreign policy, defense, and security issues
Australia also has a long-standing military relationship with the US; Australian and US forces first fought together in France in 1918 and have fought together in every major US conflict since; Australia and the US signed an agreement in 2014 that allowed for closer bi-lateral defense and security cooperation, including rotations of US military forces and equipment to Australia; Australian military forces train often with US forces; Australia has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation
in 2021, Australia, the UK, and the US announced an enhanced trilateral security partnership called “AUKUS” which would build on existing bilateral ties, including deeper integration of defense and security-related science, technology, industrial bases, and supply chains, as well as deeper cooperation on a range of defense and security capabilities (2025)
Transnational Issues1
Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 185 (2024 est.)
stateless persons: 6,922 (2024 est.)