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Australia

Commonwealth of Australia · Australia and New Zealand

Position of Australia on a world map

At a glance

CapitalCanberra
Most common first languageEnglish72% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageNoneno language has de jure status here
CurrencyAustralian dollar
Drives on theleft
Highest pointMawson Peak2,745 m
Biggest category of goods exportedores and metals34% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports21.4%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.au

Facts about Australia

Two animals appear on its coat of arms, and neither can easily walk backwards.

Source: Coat of arms of Australia — kangaroo and emu · checked 2026-08-08

Australia mines the most lithium.

Source: pubs.usgs.gov · checked 2026-08-08

Australia exports the most wool.

Source: trustinaustralianwool.com.au · checked 2026-08-08

Australia exports the most iron ore.

Source: worldstopexports.com · checked 2026-08-08

Australia by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.27.6m (2025)55th
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$1.80tn (2025)15th
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.7.69m km² (2023)6th
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$33.8bn (2024)15th
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$418bn (2025)23rd
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.30.1m (2024)48th
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.1.34m km² (2023)6th
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.3.63m km² (2023)3rd
of 206
COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.383 Mt (2024)17th
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.24.2m (2025)40th
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.83.1 years (2024)22nd
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$65,130 (2025)18th
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.96.1% (2024)19th
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.2.9% (2025)96th
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.4.1% (2025)117th
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.87.7% (2025)36th
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.48 (2024)151st
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.1.88% of GDP (2024)69th
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.45.9% of GDP (2025)153rd
of 183
COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.13.88 t (2024)13th
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.958 (2023)7th
of 193

Land borders

None. Everything that leaves Australia goes by sea or by air.

Across the water

Close by sea, with no shared land border.

🇹🇱 East Timor🇮🇩 Indonesia🇳🇨 New Caledonia🇳🇿 New Zealand🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea🇸🇧 Solomon Islands🇻🇺 Vanuatu

Australia shares these with other countries

Drives on the left 60Shares no land border 51Has english as its most common first language 13Uses the australian dollar 2Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of the commonwealth 55Is a member of the g20 19Mainly exports ores and metals 14Is in australia and new zealand 2

Australia in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Australia.

Which country mines the most lithium?

Australia digs about 32% of the world's lithium out of hard-rock spodumene — still comfortably the top producer. China has now overtaken Chile and Argentina to become the second-biggest miner, while Chile and Argentina continue to pump theirs from brine in high-altitude salt flats — several different ways of producing the same battery metal. source

Which country exports the most wool?

Around 45% of the world's wool exports, and roughly two-thirds of fine apparel wool, come from one country's outback sheep stations — a 19th-century colonial export specialism that never went away. source

Which country exports the most iron ore?

Australia ships over half the world's traded iron ore, worth some $78bn a year, mostly from the Pilbara. More than 80% goes to a single buyer, China, so swings in Chinese steel demand directly move the Australian dollar and budget. source

Keep going

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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