Oil rents as a share of GDP in Australia
Australia: Oil rents as a share of GDP was 0.3% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Oil rents as a share of GDP 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
In 2021, oil rents as a share of gdp in Australia stood at 0.3%.
The figure is up 144.2% on the previous year and down 69.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil rents as a share of gdp in Australia peaked at 2.9% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1970.
That places Australia 71st out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Oil rents as a share of GDP in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.0% | +64.7% |
| 1972 | 0.1% | +205.1% |
| 1973 | 0.2% | +221.2% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | +403.8% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 1.4% | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | +11.7% |
| 1978 | 1.4% | -10.4% |
| 1979 | 2.9% | +115.6% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | -4.4% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -32.0% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -40.0% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | +24.7% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | +10.4% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | +21.2% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | -52.2% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +42.1% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | -40.2% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +49.7% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | -45.7% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | -23.5% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | -20.6% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -44.9% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | +40.6% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | +190.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -17.8% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +11.6% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +20.3% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -40.9% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | +27.8% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +24.2% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | -22.6% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -20.7% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -59.5% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -12.5% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | +14.7% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +33.3% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -13.4% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -52.8% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | +144.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.0% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 0.8% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fuel imports 11.7% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 1.9% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 34.6% (2025)
- Gas production 1,486 terawatt-hours (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil rents as a share of gdp in Australia?
- Oil rents as a share of gdp in Australia was 0.3% 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 oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 1979.
- What is the lowest oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1970.
- How does Australia rank for oil rents as a share of gdp?
- Australia ranks 71st out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil rents as a share of gdp rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.9%. 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 Oil rents as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Economic profits generated from oil extraction, measured as the difference between production value and costs, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product.