Statistical information Australia 2023
Australia in the World
Australia - Introduction 2023
top of pageBackground:
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, English captain James COOK sailed to the east coast of Australia, named it New South Wales, and claimed it for Great Britain. In 1788 and 1825, Great Britain established New South Wales and then Tasmania as penal colonies respectively. 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. In 2021, Australia, the UK, and the US announced the AUKUS enhanced trilateral security partnership to maintain and expand the three countries’ edge in military capabilities and critical technologies. 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.
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. In 2021, Australia, the UK, and the US announced the AUKUS enhanced trilateral security partnership to maintain and expand the three countries’ edge in military capabilities and critical technologies. 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.
Australia - Geography 2023
top of pageLocation: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map reference: Oceania
Area
Total: 7,741,220 km²
Land: 7,682,300 km²
Water: 58,920 km²
Note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
Comparative: slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
Land boundaries
Total: 0 km
Coastline: 25,760 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m
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
Note 1: Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 26.5% of global coal exports in 2021; coal is the country’s most abundant energy resource, and coal ranks as the second-largest export commodity from Australia in terms of revenue; in 2020, Australia held the third-largest recoverable coal reserves in the world behind the United States and Russia
Note 2: Australia is by far the world's largest supplier of opals
Note 3: Australia holds the largest uranium reserves in the world, and was the second-largest global uranium producer behind Kazakhstan in 2020.
Note 4: Australia was the largest exporter of LNG in the world in 2020.
Land use
Land use
Agricultural land: 46.65% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 4.03% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.04% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 42.58% (2018 est.)
Forest: 17.42% (2018 est.)
Other: 33.42% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land: 15,210 km² (2020)
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 km²:
Indian Ocean drainage: (Great Australian Bight) Murray-Darling (1,050,116 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Eyre (1,212,198 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Eyre (1,212,198 km²)
Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 2.29 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 2.89 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 8.57 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 492 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Geography
Note note 1: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; the largest country in Oceania, the largest country entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, and the largest country without land borders
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 note 3: Australia is the only continent without glaciers; it is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change; the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast and is one of the most consistent winds in the world; Australia is home to 10% of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world
Australia - People 2023
top of pagePopulation
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: 26,461,166 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.19% (2023 est.)
Nationality
Noun: Australian(s)
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%
Languages: English 72%, Mandarin 2.7%, Arabic 1.4%, Vietnamese 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2%, other 15.7%, unspecified 5.7% (2021 est.)
Note: data represent language spoken at home
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.)
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: 18.43% (male 2,515,636/female 2,359,859)
15-64 years: 64.89% (male 8,602,204/female 8,568,004)
65 years and over: 16.69% (2023 est.) (male 2,034,383/female 2,381,080)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 53.7
Youth dependency ratio: 28.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 25.5
Potential support ratio: 3.9 (2020 est.)
Median age
Total: 37.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 36.8 years
Female: 39 years
Population growth rate: 1.19% (2023 est.)
Birth rate: 12.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 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
Urban population: 86.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Note: data include Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island
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)
Environment
Current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing, deforestation, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; limited natural freshwater resources; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; drought, desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; disruption of the fragile ecosystem has resulted in significant floral extinctions; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; overfishing, pollution, and invasive species are also problems
International agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 8.93 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 375.91 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 105.01 megatons (2020 est.)
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birth: 28.7 years (2019 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
Total: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 83.3 years (2023 est.)
Male: 81.1 years
Female: 85.5 years
Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate: 66.9% (2015/16)
Note: percent of women aged 18-44
Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure: 10.7% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density: 4.13 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density: 3.8 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
NA
rural: NA
total: 100% of population
rural: NA
total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban:
NA
rural: NA
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
rural: NA
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate: 29% (2016)
Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 9.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 3.67 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total: 13.6% (2020 est.)
Male: 15.6% (2020 est.)
Female: 11.5% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA
Education expenditures: 6.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 21 years
Male: 20 years
Female: 22 years (2020)
Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 10.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 12.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 8.9%
Australia - Government 2023
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
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: Canberra
Geographic coordinates: 35 16 S, 149 08 E
Time difference: UTC+10 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends first Sunday in April
Time zone note: Australia has four time zones, including Lord Howe Island (UTC+10:30)
Etymology: the name is claimed to derive from either Kambera or Camberry, which are names corrupted from the original native designation for the area "Nganbra" or "Nganbira"
Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependent areas: (6) Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island (6)
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)
Constitution
History: approved in a series of referenda from 1898 through 1900 and became law 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Amendments: 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; amended several times, last in 1977
Legal system: common law system based on the English model
International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
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
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General David HURLEY (since 1 July 2019)
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
Elections/appointments: 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
Description:
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of:
Senate (76 seats; 12 members from each of the 6 states and 2 each from the 2 mainland territories; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of state membership renewed every 3 years and territory membership renewed every 3 years)
House of Representatives (151 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by majority preferential vote; members serve terms of up to 3 years)
Senate (76 seats; 12 members from each of the 6 states and 2 each from the 2 mainland territories; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of state membership renewed every 3 years and territory membership renewed every 3 years)
House of Representatives (151 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by majority preferential vote; members serve terms of up to 3 years)
Elections:
Senate - last held on 21 May 2022 (next to be held in May 2025)
House of Representatives - last held on 21 May 2022 (next to be held in May 2025)
House of Representatives - last held on 21 May 2022 (next to be held in May 2025)
Election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party or bloc - Liberal/National Coalition 40.7%, ALP 34.2%, Greens 14.5%, Pauline Hansen's One Nation 2.6%, Jacqui Lambee Network 2.6%, United Australia Party 1.3%, Independents 3.9%; seats by party or bloc - Liberal/National Coalition 31, ALP 26, Australian Greens 11, Pauline Hansen's One Nation 2, Jacqui Lambee Network 2, United Australia Party 1, Independents 3; composition - 33 men, 43 women; percentage of women 56.6%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party or bloc - ALP 50.9%, Coalition 36.4%, 7.9%, 2.6%, others less than 1%; seats by party or bloc - ALP 77, Coalition 55, Independent 12, Greens 4, Katter's 1, Center Alliance 1; composition: 93 men, 58 women; percentage of women 38.4%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party or bloc - ALP 50.9%, Coalition 36.4%, 7.9%, 2.6%, others less than 1%; seats by party or bloc - ALP 77, Coalition 55, Independent 12, Greens 4, Katter's 1, Center Alliance 1; composition: 93 men, 58 women; percentage of women 38.4%
Judicial branch
Highest courts: High Court of Australia (consists of 7 justices, including the chief justice); note - each of the 6 states, 2 territories, and Norfolk Island has a Supreme Court; the High Court is the final appellate court beyond the state and territory supreme courts
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 and leaders:
Australian Greens Party or The Greens [Adam BANDT]
Australian Labor Party or ALP [Anthony ALBANESE]
Centre Alliance (formerly known as the Nick Xenophon Team or NXT) [none]
Jacqui Lambie Network or JLN [Jacqui LAMBIE]
Katter's Australian Party [Robbie KATTER]
Liberal Party of Australia [Peter DUTTON]
The Nationals [David LITTLEPROUD]
One Nation or ONP [Pauline HANSON]
United Australia Party [Clive PALMER]
Australian Labor Party or ALP [Anthony ALBANESE]
Centre Alliance (formerly known as the Nick Xenophon Team or NXT) [none]
Jacqui Lambie Network or JLN [Jacqui LAMBIE]
Katter's Australian Party [Robbie KATTER]
Liberal Party of Australia [Peter DUTTON]
The Nationals [David LITTLEPROUD]
One Nation or ONP [Pauline HANSON]
United Australia Party [Clive PALMER]
Note: the Labor Party is Australia’s oldest political party, established federally in 1901; the present Liberal Party was formed in 1944; the Country Party was formed in 1920, renamed the National Country Party in 1975, the National Party of Australia in 1982, and since 2003 has been known as the Nationals; since the general election of 1949, the Liberal Party and the Nationals (under various names) when forming government have done so as a coalition
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, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kevin Michael RUDD[link]
