Total natural resource rents in Australia
Australia: Total natural resource rents was 13.4% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Total natural resource rents in Australia, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Australia recorded 13.4% for total natural resource rents in 2021. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of up 119.2% on the previous year and up 53.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Australia peaked at 13.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1972.
Australia ranks 38th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 1.8% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.3% | 3.0% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.8% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.4% | 2.5% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 3.2% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.7% | 6.1% | 13.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 35 Mozambique 14.9% compare
- 36 Burundi 14.0% compare
- 37 Turkmenistan 13.5% compare
- 39 Ghana 13.3% compare
- 40 South Sudan 13.1% compare
- 41 Sudan 12.8% compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Australia?
- Total natural resource rents in Australia was 13.4% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1972.
- How does Australia rank for total natural resource rents?
- Australia ranks 38th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 53.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.