Australia vs China: Annual freight transport

Australia
96,600 Tonnes-kilometres
in 2021
China
10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres
in 2023
Australia rank
4th
China rank
1st

Annual freight transport over time

  • Australia
  • China
02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M197119972023

How they compare

China currently reports 10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres against 96,600 Tonnes-kilometres in Australia, a difference of 10.82 million Tonnes-kilometres.

That makes China's figure about 113.0 times Australia's.

Across all 35 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

Australia ranks 4th and China ranks 1st of 21 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia China Difference Ahead
1970s 105,100 Tonnes-kilometres 248,700 Tonnes-kilometres 143,600 Tonnes-kilometres China
1980s 100,700 Tonnes-kilometres 443,050 Tonnes-kilometres 342,350 Tonnes-kilometres China
1990s 103,278 Tonnes-kilometres 1.16 million Tonnes-kilometres 1.05 million Tonnes-kilometres China
2000s 115,133 Tonnes-kilometres 3.16 million Tonnes-kilometres 3.05 million Tonnes-kilometres China
2010s 109,280 Tonnes-kilometres 5.27 million Tonnes-kilometres 5.16 million Tonnes-kilometres China
2020s 102,750 Tonnes-kilometres 9.39 million Tonnes-kilometres 9.28 million Tonnes-kilometres China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual freight transport, Australia or China?
China, at 10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres against 96,600 Tonnes-kilometres in Australia as of 2023.
What is the difference in annual freight transport between Australia and China?
10.82 million Tonnes-kilometres, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and China?
35 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2021.
How do Australia and China rank globally for annual freight transport?
Australia ranks 4th and China ranks 1st of 21 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Annual freight transport. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs China: Annual freight transport. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/annual-freight-transport/australia/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Annual freight transport
Unit
Tonnes-kilometres
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
25 places, 933 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Freight transport by rail, road, inland waterways and pipeline.