Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Australia
7,692,024 km²
80.2% of largest
China is 1.25× larger than Australia
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Australia
1.8% OF LARGEST
25.69M
PEOPLE
China has 54.99× the population of Australia
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
Australia
8.6% OF LARGEST
$1.54T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Australia
2.9% OF LARGEST
59K
TROOPS
China has 34.49× the active personnel of Australia
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Australia
14.2% OF LARGEST
465
AIRCRAFT
China has 7.06× the aircraft of Australia
Naval Assets
China
Australia
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Australia
3.1% OF LARGEST
70.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Australia
1.7% OF LARGEST
$54B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Australia
10% OF MOST
47
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Australia
9.2% OF LARGEST
2.4
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Australia
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.3M b/d
Consumption
1.1M b/d
−0.7M b/d net
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Australia
$432.6B
Exports
$432.6B
Imports
$395.8B
Trade Balance
+$36.9B
Trade Surplus
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Australia
consumption
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Australia
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Australia
consumption
China
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Australia
consumption
China
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Australia
consumption
China
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Australia
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Australia
189
Gold
201
Silver
233
Bronze
623
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 598
❄ Winter: 25
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Australia
China
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Australia
37.5
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 1.5 years older (median) than Australia
Youth Population
Australia has the highest youth population at 38% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Australia has the highest elderly population at 20% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Australia
|
China
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
189
|
85
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
9.3M
|
65.7M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
16
|
8
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
9
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Australia
|
China
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $18 | $5 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $80 | $25 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $1,600 | $600 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $1,200 | $380 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $160 | $50 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $60 | $20 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $100 | $30 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | Australia | China |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 25690000 | 1412600000 |
| Area (sq km) | 7692024 | 9596961 |
| Capital | Canberra | Beijing |
| Official Language | English | Mandarin Chinese |
| Currency | Australian Dollar (AUD) | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) |
| Government Type | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary one-party socialist republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Australia | China |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 59,000 | 2,035,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 28,850 | 510,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 88,450 | 2,545,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $31,800,000,000 | $292,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 59 | 5,651 |
| Armored Vehicles | 1,426 | 35,000 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 54 | 4,120 |
| Towed Artillery | 75 | 6,246 |
| Rocket Projectors | 6 | 2,430 |
Economy
| Metric | Australia | China |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1,543,000,000,000 | $17,963,200,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $60,060 | $12,720 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 3.5% | 4.0% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 34.4 | 38.5 |
| Currency | Australian Dollar (AUD) | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| Australia Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.2128 Weaker |
| China Currency | 4.6995 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | AUD | CNY |
| 1 USD equals | 1.4488 AUD Updated: 2026-06-27 | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 1.2 times larger in area than Australia.
China has 55.0 times more people than Australia.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Australia has the highest GDP per capita at $60,060 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$17.96 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
Australia vs China: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 11.6x larger than Australia's $1.5T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 55.0x larger than Australia's 26M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 1.2x larger than Australia.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Australia's 59Thousand.
Trade: Australia runs a trade surplus of $37B while China runs a trade surplus of $534B.
Life Expectancy: Australia leads with a life expectancy of 83 years vs China's 77.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology