State Capacity Index in Australia

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

Latest (2015)
2.22
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
10th
of 166 countries
All-time high
2.44
in 2004
All-time low
1.43
in 1960
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Australia, 1960–2015

00.511.522.5196019872015

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 166 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.

State Capacity Index in Australia, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Australia, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 1.43
1961 1.48 +3.6%
1962 1.51 +2.2%
1963 1.56 +3.8%
1964 1.64 +4.9%
1965 1.73 +5.5%
1966 1.81 +4.5%
1967 1.86 +2.5%
1968 1.86 +0.2%
1969 1.87 +0.8%
1970 1.89 +0.9%
1971 1.9 +0.6%
1972 1.91 +0.6%
1973 1.91 -0.3%
1974 1.95 +2.1%
1975 2.01 +3.3%
1976 2.02 +0.4%
1977 2.02 -0.1%
1978 2.04 +1.2%
1979 2 -2.2%
1980 2.12 +6.4%
1981 2.16 +1.9%
1982 2.14 -0.9%
1983 2.14 -0.3%
1984 2.33 +8.9%
1985 2.31 -0.7%
1986 2.35 +1.5%
1987 2.36 +0.5%
1988 2.36 +0.2%
1989 2.36 -0.2%
1990 2.36 +0.2%
1991 2.34 -1.0%
1992 2.33 -0.5%
1993 2.34 +0.5%
1994 2.35 +0.3%
1995 2.36 +0.6%
1996 2.38 +0.9%
1997 2.37 -0.3%
1998 2.4 +0.9%
1999 2.42 +0.9%
2000 2.39 -0.9%
2001 2.37 -0.9%
2002 2.39 +0.7%
2003 2.42 +1.2%
2004 2.44 +1.0%
2005 2.43 -0.6%
2006 2.38 -1.9%
2007 2.41 +1.0%
2008 2.35 -2.5%
2009 2.33 -0.6%
2010 2.38 +1.9%
2011 2.4 +0.9%
2012 2.4 +0.3%
2013 2.3 -4.3%
2014 2.29 -0.4%
2015 2.22 -3.2%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 2.22 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.59, 1.4× the median. (49 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 2.22 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6617, 3.4× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 7 Germany 2.3 compare
  2. 8 Switzerland 2.27 compare
  3. 9 New Zealand 2.23 compare
  4. 11 Netherlands 2.21 compare
  5. 12 Canada 2.1 compare
  6. 13 Ireland 2.01 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Australia

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 166 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.

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State Capacity Index in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/australia/

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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

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.