World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Australia 70 times.
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 59 times as long as the median country’s.
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 107 m above Australia’s.
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Australia has 3.7 times as many people as the median country.
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 27 times as densely populated as Australia.
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Australia are 5.3 cm taller than in the median country.
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Australia are 4.1 cm taller than in the median country.
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Australia is 6.6 years older than in the median country.
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.4 more children on average than in Australia.
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Australia are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Australia has produced 3.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Australia: 3.6 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Australia and the median country are practically level.
Australia: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 40 times the size of the median country’s.
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Australia produces 3.4 times as much per person as the median country.
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Australia (Gini 0.6 points higher).
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 4.1% in Australia.
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Australia and the median country are practically level.
Australia: 1.9% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 2× the median country’s.
Australia: 91% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 15 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 8.4 years longer than in the median country.
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 4.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Australia.
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 12% in Australia.
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Australia rate their lives 1.08 points higher than in the median country.
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 2.1 times as much meat per person as the median country.
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 624 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 363 more hours a year than in Australia.
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Australia went to school 2.9 years longer than in the median country.
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Australia are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Australia: 96% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Australia and the median country are practically level.
Australia: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Australia: 88% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Australia 113.
Australia: 113 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 15 times as long as the median country’s.
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 10 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 17% of Australia.
Australia: 17.4% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 4.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Australia’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 3.1 times as much fine dust as in Australia.
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.6 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Australia.
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 2.7 times as deadly as in Australia.
Australia: 4.5 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 0.5 °C warmer than Australia.
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 2.3 times as much rain as Australia.
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than the median country?
Australia is larger. The median country fits inside Australia 70 times.
Which has more people, Australia or the median country?
Australia has 3.7 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or the median country?
People in Australia live 8.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Australia or the median country?
Men in Australia are 5.3 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).