Notes
- All figures are based on latest available data. Data relate to different time periods depending on the data sources.
- ‘OECD total’ is supplied by the OECD. ‘OECD average’ is an AIHW estimated calculation.
Source: OECD 2020a, 2020b, 2023a, 2023b, 2023c, 2023d, 2023e, 2023f, 2023g, 2023h, 2023i, UN 2022, WHO 2020.
Housing
Dwelling size
In 2015, Australians had (on average) 2.3 rooms per person in a dwelling. This was above the OECD total of 1.7 rooms per person. Canada reported the highest number of rooms (2.6 rooms per person) and Columbia and Turkey the lowest (1.0 room per person). Australia reported the fourth highest rate of rooms per person in a dwelling out of 38 OECD countries (OECD 2023a).
Housing affordability
The greater the proportion of a household’s income that is spent on housing costs, the less disposable income there is left to support other life costs.
In 2021, households in Australia had, on average, 81.8% of their gross income available after housing costs are met. This was close to the OECD average of 80% (data was available for 33 OECD countries, ranging from 71.2%–85.7%), with Australia reporting the ninth highest proportion of income remaining after housing costs. Korea had, on average, the largest proportion of income available after housing costs (85.7%) (OECD 2020a).
Income
Household disposable income
In 2019, Australia had a relatively high household disposable income of US$37,433 at current purchasing power parities per capita (see glossary), ranking seventh highest out of 33 OECD countries for which data were available. The OECD total household net adjusted disposable income was US$30,490 (incomes ranged from US$16,269 to US$51,147). The United States reported the highest household disposable income (OECD 2023a).
Gini coefficient
Gini coefficients are a measure of income equality that give a number between 0 and 1, where a higher value represents less income equality (see glossary).
In 2020, Australia’s Gini coefficient of 0.32 ranked 20th out of 35 OECD countries for which data were available – this means Australia was less equal than 19 countries, but more equal than 15. Australia had greater income inequality than the OECD average (0.31). The Gini coefficient among the 35 OECD countries ranged from 0.22 to 0.49. Slovak Republic reported the lowest rate and greatest equality (Gini coefficient of 0.22); Costa Rica reported the highest rate and greatest income inequality (0.49) (OECD 2023f).
Employment rate
In Q1 2023, the employment rate (the employed population divided by the working age population, see glossary) for people aged 15–64 in Australia was 77.4.%. This was the seventh highest rate of 38 OECD countries and higher than the OECD total of 69.9%. Employment rates varied by sex: in Q1 2023, the employment rate for males aged 15–64 was 81.1% and 73.9% for females in Australia. Australia had the eighth highest employment rate for males and ninth highest for females among 38 OECD countries (OECD 2023d).
Unemployment rate
Unemployed persons are those who are currently not working but are willing to do so and actively searching for work.
In Q1 2023, the unemployment rate (the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, see glossary) for people aged 15–64 in Australia was 3.7%. This was the 10th lowest rate of 37 OECD countries and lower than the OECD total of 5%. Unemployment rates varied by sex: in Q1 2023, the unemployment rate for 15–64-year-olds was 3.8% for males and 3.5% for females in Australia. Australia had the ninth lowest unemployment rate for females and 12th lowest for males among 37 OECD countries (OECD 2023d).
Long-term unemployment
The long-term unemployment rate (see glossary) is defined as the number of people who have been unemployed for one year or more as a percentage of the labour force (the sum of employed and unemployed persons).
In 2020, Australia’s long-term unemployment rate of 1.0% ranked 15th out of 37 OECD countries for which data were available. The OECD total long-term unemployment ratio was 1.3% (rates ranged from <0.1% to 10.8%) with Korea reporting the lowest rate (<0.1%) (OECD 2023a).
Youth and the labour market
In 2021, 10.3% of Australians aged 15–29 were not in education, employment or training (NEET). This was lower than the OECD total of 14.5% (rates ranged from 7.4%–28%) with the Netherlands reporting the lowest proportion of youth NEET. For this measure, Australia ranked seventh lowest out of 36 OECD countries for which data were available (OECD 2023h).
Youth unemployment
In Q1 2023, Australia’s youth unemployment rate (for people aged 15–24) of 7.9% ranked 10th lowest out of 38 OECD countries for which data were available. This was lower than the OECD total of 10.6% (rates ranged from 4.8%–29%) with Japan reporting the lowest youth unemployment rate (OECD 2023g).
Working long hours
In 2018, 12.5% of Australian employees usually worked long hours in paid work (50 hours or more per week), which was higher than the OECD total of 10.2% (rates ranged from 0.3% to 27%). Australia had one of the highest proportions of employed people working long hours, ranking seventh highest out of 36 OECD countries for which data were available. The Netherlands reported the lowest proportion of people working long hours (0.3%) (OECD 2023a).
Education
Tertiary education
In 2021, half (50%) of Australians aged 25–64 had a tertiary education which includes having completed a bachelor, masters or doctoral or equivalent education or a short-cycle tertiary education (including an Associate Diploma or Advanced Certificate). Australia ranked eighth highest out of 38 OECD countries and was above the OECD total of 40% (rates ranged from 20%–62%). Canada reported the highest proportion of people with a tertiary education (62%) (OECD 2023b).
Support networks
In 2020, Australia was among the fifth highest for the quality of support networks out of all 38 OECD countries. Most (93%) Australians reported they knew somebody they could rely on in times of need, which was higher than the OECD total of 91% (rates ranged from 77%–98%). Iceland reported the highest proportion of people who believe they can rely on their relatives and friends when in trouble (98%) (OECD 2023a).
Perceptions of safety in the community
In 2020, two-thirds (67%) of Australians reported feeling safe walking alone at night. Australia ranked ninth lowest out of 38 OECD countries (rates ranged from 41% to 93%), and below the OECD total of 74%. Norway reported the highest proportion of people feeling safe walking alone at night (93%) (OECD 2023a).
Gender gap in feeling safe
A greater proportion of men feel safe when walking alone at night than women in Australia. In 2013–2018, 80% of men reported feeling safe, while only 50% of women did. The gender gap in feeling safe (the percentage point difference between women and men) was 30 percentage points in Australia, higher than the OECD average of 16 percentage points (rates ranged from 6.9 to 30 percentage points). Australia ranked last out of 37 OECD countries on this measure, with Austria reporting the smallest gap (6.9 percentage points).
Six OECD countries had less than 50% of women reporting they feel safe walking alone at night – meaning Australian women had the seventh lowest rate at 50% (OECD 2020b).
Life expectancy at birth
Life expectancy is the most commonly used measure to describe population health and reflects the overall mortality level of a population. Life expectancy measures how many years from birth, on average, a person is expected to live based on current age and sex-specific death rates.
In 2021, Australia’s life expectancy at birth was 83.3 years. Australia ranked fourth highest out of 38 OECD countries and was above the OECD average of 80.3 years. Among OECD countries, life expectancy at birth ranged from 73.1 years (Latvia) to 84.5 years (Japan) (OECD 2023i).
Health adjusted life expectancy (HALE)
Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) extends the concept of life expectancy by considering the time spent living with ill health from disease and injury. It reflects the average length of time a person at a specific age lived in full health.
In 2019, Australia’s HALE at birth was 70.9 years. Australia ranked 19th highest out of 38 OECD countries and was above the average of 70.3 years. Among OECD countries, HALE ranged from 65.8 years (Mexico) to 74.1 years (Japan) (WHO 2020).
For more information, see International health data comparisons.
Life satisfaction measures how people evaluate their life as a whole (on a scale from 0 to 10). In 2020, Australians on average scored life satisfaction as 7.1. This placed Australia 13th highest out of 38 OECD countries, and above the OECD total of 6.7 (rates ranged from 4.9 to 7.9). Life satisfaction among OECD countries was greatest in Finland (7.9) (OECD 2023a).
Air pollution
During 2017–2019, Australia had the sixth equal lowest level of air pollution (as measured by PM2.5, see glossary), with 6.7 micrograms of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter per cubic metre in the air, on average out of 38 OECD countries. This was lower than the OECD total of 14 micrograms (rates ranged from 5.5 to 27) with Finland reporting the lowest level of air pollution (5.5 micrograms) (OECD 2023a).
Population dependency ratio
In 2021, Australia’s population dependency ratio (see glossary) ranked 18th lowest out of 38 OECD countries at 54%. The ratio of children aged 0–14 and people aged 65 and over, compared with the number of people aged 15–64, ranged from 40% (Korea) to 71% (Japan) (UN 2022).
Overseas born population
Compared with other OECD countries in 2019, a high proportion of Australians (30%), were born overseas. The OECD average was 15% with Luxembourg reporting the highest proportion of resident population born overseas (47%). Australia ranked second highest out of 32 OECD countries for which data were available (rates ranged from 0.9% to 47%) (OECD 2023c).
Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita
In 2022, Australia’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was US$68,701 (OECD estimated value), which ranked eighth highest out of 38 OECD countries. It was higher than the OECD total of US$54,015, with Luxembourg reporting the highest GDP per capita (US$143,394) and Ireland the second highest (US$128,343) (OECD 2023e).
Welfare data and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic caused worldwide disruption. Throughout the pandemic, many countries introduced restrictions (such as travel bans, lockdowns, and strict physical distancing policies) to contain the spread of the disease. Restrictions had a serious impact on economies and societies worldwide, with travel, trade, and people’s ability to work, attend school and socialise all affected and impacts continuing to be experienced.
The ability to capture and compare welfare and wellbeing data internationally throughout the pandemic has been limited, and, for some measures, the latest available data across countries precedes the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information on international comparisons of welfare data, see:
Visit International comparisons for more on this topic.
