Australia and Ireland Economies: A Side-by-Side Table Comparison

Australia and Ireland present a fascinating contrast. Australia’s population is about 5 times larger, while its land area dwarfs Ireland’s by 110 times. Economically, Australia has a larger GDP, yet its GDP per capita is lower. Australia’s military spending is 25 times more, but Ireland imports a greater share of its GDP.

Basic Indicators

Indicator	Australia	Ireland	Comparison
Population source (2022 data), updated 2024	26.01 million (54th)	5.13 million (117th)	Australia’s population is approximately 5.1 times larger than Ireland’s.
Surface area (sq. km) source (2022 data), updated 2024	7.74 million sq. km (6th)	0.07 million sq. km (115th)	Australia is 110 times larger than Ireland.
GDP source (2022 data), updated 2024	1,692.96B USD (12th)	533.14B USD (26th)	Australia’s total GDP is approximately 3.17 times larger than Ireland’s.
GDP per capita source (2022 data), updated 2024	$65,100 (13th)	103,983 USD (5th)	Australia’s GDP per capita is roughly 37% lower than Ireland’s, with Australians producing about $38,883 less per person annually.

Economic Indexes

Index	Australia	Ireland	Comparison
HDI (Human Development Index) source (2022 data), updated 2024	0.946 (10th)	0.95 (7th)	Australia’s HDI is 0.946 (very high), while Ireland’s is 0.950 (very high). Ireland’s score is 0.004 higher, indicating slightly better human development overall.
Index of Economic Freedom source (2024 data)	76.2 (12th)	82.6 (3rd)	Australia’s Index of Economic Freedom is 8.6% lower than Ireland’s, 6.4 points less.
GINI source (2022 data), updated 2024	34.3 (2018 est.)	29.2 (2020 est.)	With a 17.4% higher Gini coefficient, Australia has a higher degree of income inequality than Ireland.

International trade _{source(2023 data), updated 2024}

Indicator	Australia	Ireland
Total imports	363.57B USD	548.83B
Imports % of GDP	19.71%	97.18%
Main import partners	China 28%, US 10%, South Korea 6%, Japan 6%, Singapore 5%	UK 26%, US 16%, Germany 9%, China 6%, Netherlands 6%
Main import items	refined petroleum, cars, garments, trucks, plastic products	aircraft, nitrogen compounds, refined petroleum, natural gas, vaccines
Total exports	447.51B USD	731.81B
Exports % of GDP	25.43%	137.09%
Main export Partners	China 29%, Japan 19%, South Korea 10%, India 7%, Taiwan 6%	US 30%, Germany 12%, UK 8%, Belgium 7%, China 7%
Main export items	coal, iron ore, natural gas, gold, wheat	vaccines, packaged medicine, nitrogen compounds, integrated circuits, scented mixtures

Australia’s imports are about two-thirds of Ireland’s, and Ireland imports a whopping 77.47% more of its GDP than Australia. Australia’s exports are 447.51B USD, focusing on raw materials, while Ireland’s 731.81B USD exports are high-tech and advanced products.

Military Power _{source (2023 data), updated 2024}

Indicator	Australia	Ireland
Military expenditure	32.3B USD	1.3B USD
Military expenditure (% of GDP)	1.90%	0.23%
Active military	59k	10k
Active military per 1,000 capita	3.8	2.7

Australia’s military expenditure is approximately 25 times larger than Ireland’s at $32.34 billion compared to $1.27 billion, and Australia allocates a significantly higher percentage of its GDP to defense at 1.90% versus Ireland’s 0.23%.