Australia at its true size
Australia covers 7,692,024 km², number 6 of 194 countries by area. Home to 27,614,411 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 7,692,024 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 27,614,411 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 3.6 per km² |
| Capital | Canberra |
| Local time in Canberra | |
| Time zone | UTC+10, summer time UTC+11 · UTC+8 to UTC+10:30, 5 time zones IANA |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Australian English, Auslan |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Australia and New Zealand, Oceania |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECDG20 |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +61 |
| Codes | AU · AUS · 036 |
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Where Australia ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#55 of 19428 million people#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Population density#193 of 1943.6 people per km²#13 of 13 in Oceania
- Urban population#27 of 19288% urban#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Fertility rate#138 of 1921.48 births per woman#13 of 13 in Oceania
- Population growth#66 of 192+1.53% a year#4 of 13 in Oceania
- Birth rate#130 of 19210.7 births per 1,000 people#12 of 13 in Oceania
- Death rate#110 of 1926.9 deaths per 1,000 people#8 of 13 in Oceania
- Children under 15#133 of 19217.7% under 15#13 of 13 in Oceania
- People over 65#41 of 19218.1% aged 65 and over#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Net migration#20 of 192+5.0 per 1,000 people#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Refugees abroad#174 of 1900.00 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#11 of 13 in Oceania
Health & education
- Life expectancy#16 of 19283.1 years#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Infant mortality#164 of 1913.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#13 of 13 in Oceania
- Doctors#29 of 1784.09 doctors per 1,000 people#1 of 9 in Oceania
- University enrolment#6 of 145108.4% gross enrolment#1 of 8 in Oceania
- Human Development Index#7 of 190an index of 0.958#1 of 13 in Oceania
Economy
- GNI per capita#11 of 185$64,120 a person#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Internet users#19 of 18496% online#1 of 11 in Oceania
- GDP per capita (PPP)#22 of 184$71,934 a person#1 of 13 in Oceania
- GDP growth#145 of 187+1.4% a year#11 of 13 in Oceania
- Inflation#92 of 176+2.9% a year#6 of 11 in Oceania
- Unemployment#112 of 1784.1% of the labour force#5 of 8 in Oceania
- Extreme poverty#88 of 1490.9% under $3.00 a day#4 of 6 in Oceania
- Income inequality (Gini)#83 of 149a Gini index of 33.8#2 of 6 in Oceania
- Jobs in agriculture#155 of 1782.2% of jobs#8 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in industry#85 of 17819.3% of jobs#3 of 8 in Oceania
- Jobs in services#18 of 17878.5% of jobs#1 of 8 in Oceania
- Foreign investment#89 of 1842.1% of GDP#6 of 12 in Oceania
- Exports#120 of 16823.2% of GDP#9 of 12 in Oceania
- Military spending#68 of 1551.9% of GDP#1 of 4 in Oceania
- Mobile subscriptions#102 of 191113 subscriptions per 100 people#3 of 12 in Oceania
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#10 of 18514.1 tonnes a person#2 of 13 in Oceania
- Forest area#127 of 19217% forest#10 of 13 in Oceania
- Renewable energy#129 of 19012.3% renewable#8 of 13 in Oceania
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 13 in Oceania
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#177 of 1916.4 µg/m³#5 of 13 in Oceania
- Protected land#71 of 19122.0% of the land protected#4 of 13 in Oceania
- Arable land#138 of 1904.1% of the land arable#3 of 12 in Oceania
- Water stress#123 of 1764.7% of its available fresh water#2 of 4 in Oceania
- Precipitation#140 of 180534 mm a year#7 of 7 in Oceania
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Australia’s area, lit up on the map →
- Brazil0.9×Australia is 10% smaller than Brazil.
- China0.8×Australia is 20% smaller than China.
- United States0.78×Australia is 22% smaller than United States.
- Canada0.77×Australia is 23% smaller than Canada.
- Russia0.45×Australia is 2.22 times smaller than Russia.
- India2.34×Australia is 2.34 times larger than India.
How many times does Australia fit into…
- Russia: about 2.2 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Australia shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Murray2,530 km
- Darling1,472 km
- Barwon889 km
- Mitchell750 km
- Fitzroy733 km
- Ord650 km
Summits
- Mount Kosciuszko2,228 m
- Mount Bogong1,986 m
- Mount Buller1,805 m
- Mount Ossa1,617 m
- Mount Bartle Frere1,611 m
Lakes
- Lake Eyre North9,197 km²
- Lake Torrens5,700 km²
- Lake Mackay4,737 km²
- Lake Gairdner4,350 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Australia. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Australia
- How big is Australia?
- Australia covers 7,692,024 km², which makes it number 6 of 194 countries by area. About 27,614,411 people live there (2025), 3.6 per km².
- Is Australia bigger than Brazil?
- Australia is 10% smaller than Brazil. Australia: 7,692,024 km²; Brazil: 8,515,767 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Australia?
- Australia lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Does Australia have land borders?
- No. Australia has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.