Annual freight transport in Australia

Australia: Annual freight transport was 96,600 Tonnes-kilometres in 2021. β–² Rising

Latest (2021)
96,600 Tonnes-kilometres
Change on year
down 11.3%
World rank
4th
of 21 countries
All-time high
127,589 Tonnes-kilometres
in 2007
All-time low
72,000 Tonnes-kilometres
in 1971
Years of data
51
1971–2021

Annual freight transport in Australia, 1971–2021

050.0k100.0k150.0k197119962021

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Tonnes-kilometres.

Analysis

In 2021, annual freight transport in Australia stood at 96,600 Tonnes-kilometres.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.3% on the previous year and down 14.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual freight transport in Australia peaked at 127,589 Tonnes-kilometres in 2007 and was at its lowest, 72,000 Tonnes-kilometres, in 1971.

Australia ranks 4th of 21 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 95,411 Tonnes-kilometres 72,000 Tonnes-kilometres 105,100 Tonnes-kilometres 9
1980s 96,600 Tonnes-kilometres 80,900 Tonnes-kilometres 110,300 Tonnes-kilometres 10
1990s 103,278 Tonnes-kilometres 93,800 Tonnes-kilometres 116,940 Tonnes-kilometres 10
2000s 115,133 Tonnes-kilometres 104,510 Tonnes-kilometres 127,589 Tonnes-kilometres 10
2010s 109,280 Tonnes-kilometres 102,577 Tonnes-kilometres 120,700 Tonnes-kilometres 10
2020s 102,750 Tonnes-kilometres 96,600 Tonnes-kilometres 108,900 Tonnes-kilometres 2

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 1 China 10.92 million Tonnes-kilometres compare
  2. 2 United States 226,442 Tonnes-kilometres compare
  3. 3 Japan 153,059 Tonnes-kilometres compare
  4. 5 Spain 49,938 Tonnes-kilometres compare
  5. 6 Italy 42,143 Tonnes-kilometres compare
  6. 7 Canada 31,735 Tonnes-kilometres compare

See the full ranking of 25 places β†’

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is annual freight transport in Australia?
Annual freight transport in Australia was 96,600 Tonnes-kilometres in 2021, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest annual freight transport recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 127,589 Tonnes-kilometres in 2007.
What is the lowest annual freight transport recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 72,000 Tonnes-kilometres in 1971.
How does Australia rank for annual freight transport?
Australia ranks 4th out of 21 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual freight transport rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Annual freight transport. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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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.