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
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.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Australia, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 234.70 million million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 230.70 million million ton-km | -1.7% |
| 1972 | 220.20 million million ton-km | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 266.60 million million ton-km | +21.1% |
| 1974 | 315.30 million million ton-km | +18.3% |
| 1975 | 326.50 million million ton-km | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 354.20 million million ton-km | +8.5% |
| 1977 | 376.10 million million ton-km | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 459.90 million million ton-km | +22.3% |
| 1979 | 528.30 million million ton-km | +14.9% |
| 1980 | 516.50 million million ton-km | -2.2% |
| 1981 | 556.40 million million ton-km | +7.7% |
| 1982 | 576.00 million million ton-km | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 624.90 million million ton-km | +8.5% |
| 1984 | 734.10 million million ton-km | +17.5% |
| 1985 | 814.80 million million ton-km | +11.0% |
| 1986 | 859.30 million million ton-km | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 990.80 million million ton-km | +15.3% |
| 1988 | 1.03 billion million ton-km | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 1.13 billion million ton-km | +9.6% |
| 1990 | 1.22 billion million ton-km | +8.6% |
| 1991 | 1.22 billion million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.36 billion million ton-km | +11.4% |
| 1993 | 1.53 billion million ton-km | +12.1% |
| 1994 | 1.65 billion million ton-km | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 1.74 billion million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 1.83 billion million ton-km | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 1.95 billion million ton-km | +6.5% |
| 1998 | 1.90 billion million ton-km | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 1.69 billion million ton-km | -11.1% |
| 2000 | 1.73 billion million ton-km | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 1.68 billion million ton-km | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 1.54 billion million ton-km | -7.9% |
| 2003 | 1.36 billion million ton-km | -12.3% |
| 2004 | 1.90 billion million ton-km | +40.0% |
| 2005 | 2.44 billion million ton-km | +28.8% |
| 2006 | 2.57 billion million ton-km | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 2.35 billion million ton-km | -8.6% |
| 2008 | 2.21 billion million ton-km | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 2.77 billion million ton-km | +25.2% |
| 2010 | 2.94 billion million ton-km | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 2.85 billion million ton-km | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 2.73 billion million ton-km | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 1.98 billion million ton-km | -27.3% |
| 2014 | 1.93 billion million ton-km | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 1.91 billion million ton-km | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 1.87 billion million ton-km | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.98 billion million ton-km | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 2.03 billion million ton-km | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 1.93 billion million ton-km | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 1.32 billion million ton-km | -31.8% |
| 2021 | 1.24 billion million ton-km | -5.5% |
| 2022 | 1.20 billion million ton-km | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 1.19 billion million ton-km | -0.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.19 billion million ton-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 266.33 million million ton-km, 4.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.19 billion million ton-km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.27 million million ton-km, 39.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
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
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.