The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside Australia 32 times.
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as the United Kingdom’s.
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Australia’s highest peak towers 883 m above the United Kingdom’s.
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 2.5 times as many people as Australia.
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 80 times as densely populated as Australia.
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Australia and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Australia and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 2 years older than in Australia.
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.1 more children on average than in Australia.
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 18% in Australia.
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Australia 3.6.
Australia: 3.6 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Australia and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Australia: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 2.2 times the size of Australia’s.
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Australia produces 11% more per person than the United Kingdom.
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Australia than in the United Kingdom (Gini 1.4 points higher).
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 4.1% in Australia.
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom and Australia are practically level.
Australia: 1.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the United Kingdom’s.
Australia: 91% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 19% more on health per person than the United Kingdom.
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 1.7 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 32% more likely to die before turning one than in Australia.
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 24% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom.
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 29% in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 12% in Australia.
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Australia rate their lives 0.22 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Australia and the United Kingdom are nearly identical here.
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 38% more meat per person than the United Kingdom.
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 127 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom.
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Australia put in 88 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.62 years longer than in Australia.
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Australia are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 96% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Australia and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Australia: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 88% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Australia 113.
Australia: 113 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 2 times as long as the United Kingdom’s.
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 46% more passengers per resident than those from the United Kingdom.
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Australia, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
Australia: 17.4% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Australia.
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Kingdom carries 63% more fine dust than in Australia.
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 31% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Australia.
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Australia are 88% deadlier than in the United Kingdom.
Australia: 4.5 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Australia is on average 12.6 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 2.4 times as much rain as Australia.
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than the United Kingdom?
Australia is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside Australia 32 times.
Which has more people, Australia or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 2.5 times as many people as Australia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or the United Kingdom?
People in Australia live 1.7 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Australia or the United Kingdom?
Australia and the United Kingdom are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
