Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Australia

Australia: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 1.19 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.19 billion million ton-km
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
27th
of 180 countries
All-time high
2.94 billion million ton-km
in 2010
All-time low
220.20 million million ton-km
in 1972
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Australia, 1970–2023

01.0B2.0B3.0B197019962023

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.

Analysis

In 2023, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Australia stood at 1.19 billion million ton-km.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 40.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Australia peaked at 2.94 billion million ton-km in 2010 and was at its lowest, 220.20 million million ton-km, in 1972.

That places Australia 27th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 331.25 million million ton-km 220.20 million million ton-km 528.30 million million ton-km 10
1980s 782.52 million million ton-km 516.50 million million ton-km 1.13 billion million ton-km 10
1990s 1.61 billion million ton-km 1.22 billion million ton-km 1.95 billion million ton-km 10
2000s 2.06 billion million ton-km 1.36 billion million ton-km 2.77 billion million ton-km 10
2010s 2.21 billion million ton-km 1.87 billion million ton-km 2.94 billion million ton-km 10
2020s 1.24 billion million ton-km 1.19 billion million ton-km 1.32 billion million ton-km 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 24 Brazil 1.39 billion million ton-km compare
  2. 25 Russia 1.27 billion million ton-km compare
  3. 26 Switzerland 1.26 billion million ton-km compare
  4. 28 Spain 1.13 billion million ton-km compare
  5. 29 Italy 1.12 billion million ton-km compare
  6. 30 Mexico 1.09 billion million ton-km compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in Australia?
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Australia was 1.19 billion million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 2.94 billion million ton-km in 2010.
What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 220.20 million million ton-km in 1972.
How does Australia rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
Australia ranks 27th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Tonne-kilometers of air freight
Unit
million ton-km
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 7,506 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.