The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Solomon Islands fits inside Australia 268 times.
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2023) · Solomon Islands: 28,900 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 4.8 times as long as the Solomon Islands’.
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 5,313 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Solomon Islands’ highest peak towers 107 m above Australia’s.
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · Solomon Islands: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Australia has 33 times as many people as the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · Solomon Islands: 838,645 (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Solomon Islands is 8.3 times as densely populated as Australia.
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · Solomon Islands: 30 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Australia are 15.7 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 163.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Australia are 7.9 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · Solomon Islands: 156.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Australia is 17 years older than in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Solomon Islands have 2.0 more children on average than in Australia.
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · Solomon Islands: 3.51 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Australia are 65 or older, versus 3.7% in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 3.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Australia: 3.6 (2025) · Solomon Islands: no data
How many official languages?
Australia and the Solomon Islands are practically level.
Australia: 1 (2026) · Solomon Islands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 1,028 times the size of the Solomon Islands’.
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · Solomon Islands: $1.75 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Australia produces 26 times as much per person as the Solomon Islands.
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · Solomon Islands: Int$2,788 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · Solomon Islands: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.1% in Australia, versus 1.4% in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 1.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Australia: 1.9% (2024) · Solomon Islands: no data
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× the Solomon Islands’.
Australia: 91% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 75% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 63 times as much on health per person as the Solomon Islands.
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · Solomon Islands: $111 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 12 years longer than in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · Solomon Islands: 70.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Solomon Islands is 5.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Australia.
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 16.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 17 times as many doctors per person as the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Solomon Islands: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 21% in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 20.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
38% of adults in the Solomon Islands smoke, versus 12% in Australia.
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 38.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · Solomon Islands: no data
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 18 times as much alcohol as in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 7.5 times as much meat per person as the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · Solomon Islands: 15.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 1,396 kcal more food per person per day than the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · Solomon Islands: 2,166 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · Solomon Islands: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Australia went to school 7 years longer than in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · Solomon Islands: 5.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · Solomon Islands: 0.04 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Australia are online, versus 29% in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 96% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 29% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Australia have electricity, versus 82% in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 100% (2024) · Solomon Islands: 81.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 31% in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 88% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 31% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Australia has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Solomon Islands 62.
Australia: 113 (2024) · Solomon Islands: 62 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · Solomon Islands: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · Solomon Islands: 0.19 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 90% of the Solomon Islands, but only 17% of Australia.
Australia: 17.4% (2023) · Solomon Islands: 90.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 40 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · Solomon Islands: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Australia’s electricity is renewable, versus 9.1% in the Solomon Islands.
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · Solomon Islands: 9.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Solomon Islands carries 30% more fine dust than in Australia.
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Solomon Islands: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · Solomon Islands: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Solomon Islands are 2.5 times as deadly as in Australia.
Australia: 4.5 per 100k (2021) · Solomon Islands: 11.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Solomon Islands is on average 4.1 °C warmer than Australia.
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Solomon Islands: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Solomon Islands gets 9.5 times as much rain as Australia.
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Solomon Islands: 4,245 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than the Solomon Islands?
Australia is larger. The Solomon Islands fits inside Australia 268 times.
Which has more people, Australia or the Solomon Islands?
Australia has 33 times as many people as the Solomon Islands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or the Solomon Islands?
People in Australia live 12 years longer than in the Solomon Islands. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 70.7 in the Solomon Islands.
Are people taller in Australia or the Solomon Islands?
Men in Australia are 15.7 cm taller than in the Solomon Islands (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).