Ranking Countries

AUS · Oceania · refreshed Aug 10, 2026

If Australia were a US state

It would sit in the top half on 20 of 27 measures — and come first on 8 of them.

Map showing where Australia is in the world
12th
median, of 52
33rd
median, world
8
first places
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Who leads the world

Countries that rank like Australia

Head to head: Australia vs the United States, measure by measure · or against Switzerland.

From the blog: How representative are country rankings?

All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →

Common questions

Questions people ask about Australia

If Australia were a US state, how would it rank?

Across 27 measures of health, safety, money, education and the environment, Australia's median rank would be 12th on a list of the 50 states plus Washington, DC. It lands in the top half of that list on 20 of the 27 measures.

Is Australia richer than the average US state?

Australia's GDP per capita is $71,934, price-adjusted so states and countries sit on one scale. That would rank 43rd of 52 among the states — poorer than most US states. Source: World Bank (PPP), 2025. See the full ranking

What is life expectancy in Australia vs the US?

People in Australia live 83.1 years on average — 4.2 years longer than the US figure of 78.9 years. Among the states, Australia would rank 1st of 52. Source: World Bank / UN Population Division, 2024. See the full ranking

How safe is Australia compared to US states?

Australia's homicide rate is 0.9 per 100k — a lower rate than every US state. Ranked with the states on the lowest rate, it would come 1st of 52. Source: UNODC / WHO, 2023. See the full ranking

Where does Australia rank in the world?

On the 30 measures with wide global coverage, Australia's median rank is 33rd out of roughly 190 countries (coverage varies by measure). Rank 1st means best in the world.

What is Australia best at?

Compared with US states, Australia's strongest measure is life expectancy: at 83.1 years, it would rank 1st of 52. It does equally well on lowest homicide rate. Source: World Bank / UN Population Division, 2024. See the full ranking

What is Australia weakest at?

Australia's weakest showing is average wages: 3,926 $/month (PPP) would rank 52nd of 52 — last place on the list. Source: ILO (ILOSTAT), 2021. See the full ranking

How happy are people in Australia?

Australia scores 6.92 / 10 for self-reported life satisfaction, ranking 15th of 162 countries worldwide. Source: World Happiness Report, 2025. See the full ranking

How big is Australia compared to a US state?

Australia has about 27.6 million people. Dropped into the list of 50 states plus DC, it would rank 3rd of 52 by population. Source: World Bank, 2025. See the full ranking