This is a list of Australia's international rankings on a range of social, economic and other criteria.
International rankings
Note: Below each survey uses a limited number of countries/region's for its assessments, see "Measurement(s)" for number variables. Organization SurveyRank Measurement(s)/Notes Year U.S. News & World Report Most Transparent Countries 12 Measures government open practices, its trustworthiness and low levels of perceived political corruption in the 80 most developed countries2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Countries report 14 Measures adventure, agility, cultural Influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, political and individual freedom, social purpose and quality of life in the 80 most developed countries. 2026 Anholt-Ipsos Nation branding 7 Measures national competence, governance, immigration and investment, people; exports, tourism and culture in the 50 most developed countries2025 Fund for Peace Fragile States Index 5 Measures risk and vulnerability of individuals of 179 countries 2022 U.S. News & World Report Agility 5 Measures Individuals, businesses and governments adaptability to change in the 80 most developed countries2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Countries for Education 5 Measures quality of education in the 80 most developed countries2026 State of World Liberty Project State of World Liberty Index 4Degree of economic and personal freedoms of 183 countries 2021 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD Better Life Index 2Measures wellbeing, environmental quality, quality of public services and security of the 36 most developed countries: 2020 International Comparisons (OECD) Social justice 4 Arithmetic average of individual indicators of a "Just society" of the 40 most developed countries: 2020 U.S. News & World Report Social Purpose 9 Measures social progressiveness, inclusiveness and committed to social justice in the 80 most developed countries2022 OECD Tertiary education 1 Based on those 25- to 64-year-olds having completed tertiary education of the 50 most developed countries: 2019 The Economist Democracy Index 13 Measures pluralism, civil liberties and political culture of 167 countries 2025 United Nations Good Country Index 11 Measure how much each country contributes to the planet and to the human race, relative to its size (measured in GDP) of 125 countries 2020 Social Progress Imperative Social Progress Index 6 Measures well-being of a society of 132 countries 2021 The Economist Global Food Security Index 22Measures food affordability, availability, quality, safety, sustainability and adaptation of 109 countries 2022 The Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom 13 Based on the rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets of 178 countries 2021Institute for Economics and Peace Global Peace Index 20 Measures overall peacefulness of 162 countries 2026 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 12 Based on public sector corruption of 175 countries & territories 2025 UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network World Happiness Report 12 Based on (quality of) life factors of 156 countries 2021 Georgetown University Women, Peace and Security Index 11 Measures women's well-being—inclusion (economic, social, political); justice (formal laws and informal discrimination); and security (at the family, community, and societal levels) 2026 Travel Safe - Abroad Safest countries Index 15 Measures public safety based on the number of incidents including mugging, drugs, violent crimes, bribery, property crimes, stolen vehicles, religion, and racial tolerance of 163 countries 2022 Theglobaleconomy.com Public services index 18 Measures quality of public services of 177 countries 2024 International Institute for Management Development Most competitive economies 17 Economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment and healthcare / education of the 67 most developed countries 2026 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 13 Level of freedom available to journalists of 180 countries 2021 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 16 Measures level of prosperity of citizens of 144 economies 2019 Legatum Prosperity Index 15Measures wealth, economic growth, education, health, personal well-being, and quality of life of 167 countries 2023 United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 5 Based on life expectancy, education, and per capita income of 187 countries. Note: Norway has been ranked the highest sixteen times, Canada eight times, Japan and Iceland twice and Switzerland once. See Human Development Index#Past top countries 2021 World Intellectual Property Organization Global Innovation Index 17 Measures success in innovation of 133 countries 2024 World Population Foundation Best Countries To Live 5Measures equality among genders, literacy, average life expectancy, and financial stability of 146 countries 2022 Yale and Columbia Universities Environmental Performance Index. 13 Environmental performance of 178 countries 2020 World Bank Ease of doing business index 14 Regulatory environment of 189 countries 2021
Freedom assessments
The freedom indices produced by several non-governmental organizations publishes assessments of political rights and civil liberties for countries around the world. Freedom in the World 2022 2022 Index of Economic Freedom 2022 Press Freedom Index"Press Freedom Index 2022" , Reporters Without Borders, May 2022. 2021 Democracy Index , Economist, January 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021. 1 Free 1 Free 2 Satisfactory situation 1 Full democracy
Index Scale Freedom in the World free partly free not free Index of Economic Freedom free mostly free moderately free mostly unfree repressed Press Freedom Index good situation satisfactory situation noticeable problems difficult situation very serious situation Democracy Index full democracy flawed democracy hybrid regime authoritarian regime authoritarian regime
Maps of indices
References
External links Statistics and rankings - Global Australia Global Benchmarking Database - University of Warwick Australia international rankings - Rankedex Country rankings - TheGlobalEconomy.com Australia profile - OECD Catalogue of Indices 2016 - Global Observatory