Australia
Oceania · Australia and New Zealand
High wages and an outdoor lifestyle, with a strong immigration program and expensive city housing.
Expat
Ideal destination
At a Glance
📈Australia's Human Development Index
0.946
Very High human development#9 of 191 countries worldwide, #1 of 15 in Oceania.
Higher than 96% of countries with data. UNDP Human Development Report.
UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita.
Closest indicators in this dataset
World Bank, own vintages. UNDP’s own component values are not carried here, so these are related measures rather than the index inputs.
Nearest countries by HDI
Full HDI ranking, all 191 countries →Australia
Australia is a continent-sized country where the majority of life clusters along a spectacular coastline, while the vast, ancient interior, the Outback, stretches in almost incomprehensible silence. The culture is outdoors-oriented, relaxed, and genuinely multicultural, with world-class cities, extraordinary wildlife, and a strong café culture that takes its coffee seriously. Those who dislike heat, long distances, or nature in its more unfiltered form may struggle, but most visitors find it addictive.
- Has 80% of the world's most venomous snakes — yet fewer deaths per year than bee stings.
- More sheep than people — roughly 3 to 1.
- The only continent-country: occupies an entire continent by itself.
Quick Facts
Capital
Canberra
Language
English
Currency
$ AUD
Area
7.69M km²
Nomad Hub
Fixed Broadband
157Mbps
Mobile
119Mbps
GDP / Capita
$65K
PPP / Capita
$72K
Inflation
2.9%
Unemployment
4.1%
Innovation (GII)
48.0
GNI / Capita
$64K
Tax Revenue
23.6%
FDI Inflows
2.0%
Education Spend
5.1%
Cost of Living
67.9
Price Level Index
6th pct
20-Year Trend + IMF Forecast
Income & inflation over time
HDI since 1990
0.864 → 0.946 (+0.082)Year by year →UNDP Human Development Report, 2023-24 edition. 33 annual values, none interpolated; hover any point for its year.
Twenty years here
Year by year →The world report →World Bank observations, first to last available year per indicator (roughly 2005–2024; each series has its own window).
Thinking about Australia for real?
The matcher weighs your budget, timeline and dealbreakers against the same data on this page, then answers with the places that actually fit.
Find your match →Australia head-to-head
💬Quick answers
What is Australia's Human Development Index?
Australia's Human Development Index is 0.946 (UNDP Human Development Report), ranked #9 of 191 countries.
Is Australia safe?
Australia scores 1.60 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #20 of 160 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.
How expensive is Australia?
Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Australia at 67.9 (New York = 100); that is #125 cheapest of 143 countries with data.
What is life expectancy in Australia?
Life expectancy at birth in Australia is 83.1 yrs (World Bank), ranked #16 of 195 countries.
What is the quality of life in Australia?
Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores Australia at 189.6, ranked #12 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.