What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Australia?

The highest recorded value was 2.44 in 2004.

What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Australia?

The lowest recorded value was 1.43 in 1960.

How does Australia rank for state capacity index?

Australia ranks 10th out of 165 countries with data for 2015.

Is state capacity index rising or falling in Australia?

Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Australia data come from?

The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

State Capacity Index in Australia

Name: State Capacity Index in Australia
Creator: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Australia: State Capacity Index was 2.22 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)

2.22

Change on year

down 3.2%

World rank

10th

of 165 countries

All-time high

2.44

in 2004

All-time low

1.43

in 1960

Years of data

1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Australia, 1960–2015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for state capacity index in Australia is 2.22, measured in 2015.

The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Australia peaked at 2.44 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.43, in 1960.

That places Australia 10th out of 165 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	1.67	1.43	1.87	10
1970s	1.96	1.89	2.04	10
1980s	2.26	2.12	2.36	10
1990s	2.36	2.33	2.42	10
2000s	2.39	2.33	2.44	10
2010s	2.33	2.22	2.4	6

Countries ranked near Australia

See the full ranking of 166 places →

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)

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Australia?: State capacity index in Australia was 2.22 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Australia?: The highest recorded value was 2.44 in 2004.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Australia?: The lowest recorded value was 1.43 in 1960.
How does Australia rank for state capacity index?: Australia ranks 10th out of 165 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Australia?: Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?: The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: State Capacity Index
Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.