Sustainability Statistics Australia 2026: Ultimate Overview

Top Global Sustainability Statistics for Context

1. 72% of global consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable products, signaling strong demand-side pressure on businesses.
   Source: NielsenIQ
2. Global greenhouse gas emissions have increased by roughly 50% over the past 30 years, driven primarily by fossil fuel use.
   Source: Statista
3. 2024 was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures temporarily exceeding the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels.
   Source: Reuters
4. More than 50% of global GDP depends directly on nature, exposing the global economy to biodiversity and ecosystem loss.
   Source: World Economic Forum
5. Food production accounts for approximately 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making agriculture a central sustainability challenge.
   Source: Our World in Data
6. Around 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually, with nearly two-thirds becoming short-lived waste.
   Source: UNEP
7. Only 7% of plastic pollution is projected to be reduced by 2040 under current commitments, without systemic circular economy changes.
   Source: Pew Charitable Trusts
8. Gen Z and Millennials are significantly more likely than older generations to choose sustainable brands and employers, reshaping labour and consumer markets.
   Source: Deloitte, Harvard Business Review
9. 55% of CEOs expect sustainability investments to deliver significant financial returns by 2030, reflecting its growing role as a business driver.
   Source: KPMG
10. Digital and AI-enabled technologies could reduce global carbon emissions by up to 20% by 2050, if adopted at scale.
    Source: World Economic Forum
11. Under current policy pathways, global plastic production is projected to more than double by 2060, rising from around 460 million tonnes in 2019 to over 1.1 billion tonnes.
    Source: OECD, Global Plastics Outlook
    
12. Global plastic production and waste are structurally mismatched. In 2019, 460 million tonnes of plastic were produced, while 353 million tonnes became waste. Only 9 percent was recycled, and more than one fifth was mismanaged or leaked into the environment.
    Source: OECD (2022), Global Plastics Outlook

Global Sustainability Rankings (SDGs): Top 10 Countries

The Sustainable Development Report 2025 ranks 193 UN Member States based on their overall progress toward achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Scores represent the percentage of SDG achievement, where 100 indicates full achievement.

Rank	Country	SDG Score
1	Finland	87.02
2	Sweden	85.74
3	Denmark	85.26
4	Germany	83.67
5	France	83.14
6	Austria	83.01
7	Norway	82.72
8	Croatia	82.39
9	Poland	82.08
10	Czechia	81.94
36	Australia	77.88

Source: Sustainable Development Report 2025 (SDSN)

Top 10 Australian Sustainability Statistics & Trends

1. Australia's net greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by roughly 30% since 2005, declining from over 630 Mt CO₂-e to around 446 Mt CO₂-e in 2024.
   Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
2. Emissions reductions have slowed since 2021, indicating that easy gains have been largely captured and further progress will require structural change.
3. More than 22% of Australia's land area is now protected, up from just 10% in the early 2000s.
4. Nearly 49% of Australia's marine area is protected, placing the country among global leaders in ocean conservation by coverage.
5. Australia has experienced one of the steepest long-term declines in biodiversity among developed nations, with species abundance falling by more than 70% since the mid-1980s.
6. Household adoption of rooftop solar in Australia is among the highest in the world, driven largely by consumer-led investment rather than mandates.
7. Australia remains one of the highest per-capita emitters in the OECD, despite national emissions trending downward overall.
8. Tasmania is the only Australian state with net negative emissions, absorbing more carbon than it emits due to land use and renewable energy generation.
9. Western Australia is the only major state where emissions are higher than in 2005, reflecting its energy and resource-export profile.
10. Major bushfire events cause extreme short-term air quality deterioration, reversing years of gradual improvement in PM2.5 exposure across multiple states.

1. Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions — Australia (Mt CO₂-e, 2005–2024)

Year	Net GHG Emissions (Mt CO₂-e)
2005	631.1
2006	639.7
2007	625.7
2008	620.0
2009	612.8
2010	602.3
2011	574.6
2012	560.1
2013	553.4
2014	542.5
2015	519.2
2016	514.1
2017	524.7
2018	503.4
2019	489.3
2020	453.2
2021	441.9
2022	447.2
2023	446.2
2024	446.4

Data Source: DCCEEW National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quarterly Update: December 2024

2. Land & Water Protected Areas (% of Total)

Year	Land Area (%)	Water Area (%)
2002	10	7
2004	11*	—
2006	12*	—
2008	13	10
2010	13.4	10.2
2012	15.5	36.4
2014	17.9	36.4
2016	19.6	36.4
2018	19.7	36.7
2020	19.8	36.7
2022	22.1	45
2024	22.6	48.9

3. Biological Diversity Index (Relative Abundance)

Year	Relative Abundance Index
1985	1.00
1986	1.04
1987	1.02
1988	0.95
1989	0.90
1990	0.87
1991	0.76
1992	0.76
1993	0.74
1994	0.71
1995	0.72
1996	0.65
1997	0.66
1998	0.67
1999	0.65
2000	0.63
2001	0.57
2002	0.52
2003	0.50
2004	0.47
2005	0.46
2006	0.43
2007	0.42
2008	0.40
2009	0.40
2010	0.39
2011	0.37
2012	0.35
2013	0.34
2014	0.31
2015	0.31
2016	0.30
2017	0.27
2018	0.27
2019	0.26
2020	0.26
2021	0.27

4. Renewable share of electricity generation

Year	Renewable % of Electricity Generated
2003–04	8.2
2004–05	8.9
2005–06	9.3
2006–07	8.7
2007–08	8.2
2008–09	7.6
2009–10	8.7
2010–11	10.6
2011–12	10.7
2012–13	13.4
2013–14	14.7
2014–15	13.5
2015–16	14.8
2016–17	15.7
2017–18	17.1
2018–19	19.7
2019–20	22.6
2020–21	26.7
2021–22	30.9
2022–23	33.8
2023–24	35.0

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Emissions Reduction

5. Circular Economy Indicators

The circularity rate measures the proportion of secondary (recycled) materials used in the economy in a given year, based on UNECE guidelines.

Progress Snapshot

• Australia's circularity rate was ~4.3% in 2024, unchanged from 2023
• This is up from 3.7% in 2010, but progress has plateaued in recent years
• Australia's circularity rate remains below the global average of 6.9% (Circularity Gap Report 2025)
• Australia's Circular Economy Framework (2024) sets a target to double the circularity rate by 2035

Year	Circularity Rate (%)
2010	3.7
2011	4.0
2012	4.1
2013	4.1
2014	4.0
2015	4.0
2016	4.4
2017	3.9
2018	4.2
2019	4.4
2020	4.5
2021	4.3
2022	4.3
2023	4.3
2024	4.3

Source: ABS – Circular Economy

6. Material Footprint per Capita

Material footprint measures the total amount of raw materials required to meet Australia's final demand, regardless of whether those materials are sourced domestically or imported.

Progress Snapshot

• Australia's material footprint per capita was ~31.1 tonnes in 2024, the lowest level since 2010
• This represents a decline from 37.6 tonnes per person in 2010
• Australia's Circular Economy Framework (2024) sets a target to reduce per-capita material footprint by 10% by 2035

Year	Tonnes
2010	37.6
2012	36.2
2014	34.1
2016	32.0
2018	33.4
2020	31.3
2022	31.6
2024	31.1

Source: ABS – Circular Economy

7. Material Productivity

Material productivity measures how much economic output is generated per kilogram of material consumed, indicating how efficiently the economy uses resources.

Progress Snapshot

• Material productivity reached ~$2.04 per kg in 2024, up from $1.86 per kg in 2010
• This means Australia now generates $2.04 of GDP for every kilogram of material consumed
• National targets aim to increase material productivity by 30% by 2035

Year	AUD/kg
2010	1.86
2013	1.94
2016	2.11
2019	1.95
2020	2.00
2022	1.99
2024	2.04

Source: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/measuring-what-matters/measuring-what-matters-themes-and-indicators/sustainable/circular-economy

8. Waste Generation & Resource Recovery

These indicators track how much waste Australians generate and the share that is recovered for reuse, recycling, or energy.

Latest Results (2022–23)

• 2.88 tonnes of waste generated per person, largely unchanged from 2016–17
• 66% of waste was recovered, up from 61% in 2016–17
• Australia’s national target is to recover 80% of resources by 2030

Year	Waste Generated (t per capita)	% Recovered
2016–17	2.87	61.0
2018–19	2.97	63.1
2020–21	2.93	63.2
2021–22	2.88	65.3
2022–23	2.88	66.0

Source: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/measuring-what-matters/measuring-what-matters-themes-and-indicators/sustainable/circular-economy

Australia State by State Sustainability Statistics

This report presents a national overview of sustainability statistics in Australia, using official indicators from the Measuring What Matters wellbeing framework.

Established by the Australian Government in 2023, Measuring What Matters tracks long-term progress across environmental, social, and economic outcomes. Since 2024, the framework has been maintained by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with the latest update released in September 2025.

Sustainability is measured through nationally consistent indicators covering greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, protected land and water, air quality, and resource use. This report focuses on the Sustainable theme, presenting the most recent available data and state-by-state comparisons where possible, using only official government sources.

1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by State / Territory (Mt CO₂-e)

State / Territory	Total GHG Emissions (Latest Available 2020)	% Change Since ~2005
New South Wales	~132.4 (2020 estimate)	−18.1% since 2005 (DCCEEW)
Victoria	~83.3 (2020 estimate)	−29.8% since 2005 (DCCEEW)
Queensland	~159.2 (2020 estimate)	−19.3% since 2005 (DCCEEW)
Western Australia	~82.1 (2020 estimate)	+4.5% since 2005 (DCCEEW)
South Australia	~82.64 (2022)	+8.4% since 2005 (Wikipedia)
Tasmania	~−4.34 (2022 net sink)	Net negative emissions (more removed than emitted) (Wikipedia)
Northern Territory	~16.73 (2022)	Higher than 2005 levels (Wikipedia)
Australian Capital Territory	Small (largely net-zero with renewable targets)	data not separately reported

2. Protected Areas (% of Land Area) by State / Territory

State / Territory	% Land Protected (IUCN or Total)
Australian Capital Territory	~56% (Wikipedia)
Tasmania	~43% (Wikipedia)
Western Australia	~31% (Wikipedia)
South Australia	~24% (higher than national average) (Wikipedia)
Queensland	~9.4% (Wikipedia)
New South Wales	~10.4% (Wikipedia)
Victoria	~12–15% estimate (not specifically reported) (Wikipedia)
Northern Territory	~15–20% estimate (not specifically reported) (Wikipedia)

Protected area definitions vary by IUCN category and state reporting standards.

3. Air Quality — PM2.5 Exposure by Monitoring Networks

Based on average annual PM2.5 concentrations from official monitoring stations (2017–18 to 2023–24), Australia’s air quality varies significantly by state and territory, largely driven by bushfire exposure, population density, and geography.

🟢 Best Air Quality (Lowest PM2.5 Levels)

1. Tasmania

• Consistently records some of the lowest PM2.5 levels nationally
• Most sites typically below 6 µg/m³
• Fewer extreme spikes outside major fire years

2. Western Australia (regional & coastal areas)

• Generally low background PM2.5
• Inland and fire-prone regions show variability, but long-term averages remain low

3. South Australia

• Adelaide monitoring sites show steady improvement over time
• PM2.5 levels typically remain in the low to mid-single digits

🟡 Moderate Air Quality (Variable, Event-Driven)

4. Victoria

• Moderate background levels
• Sharp deterioration during bushfire years, particularly in urban areas

Data gaps exist for some recent years

5. Queensland

• Generally good background air quality
• Localized spikes near fire-prone and industrial regions

🔴 Worst Air Quality (Highest PM2.5 Exposure)

6. New South Wales

• Frequent PM2.5 spikes during bushfire seasons
• Several monitoring sites recorded annual averages above 10 µg/m³ in peak fire years
• Large population exposure increases public health impact

7. Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

• Among the highest PM2.5 levels nationally during extreme bushfire years
• Annual averages exceeded 16 µg/m³ at some sites during 2019–20

8. Northern Territory

• Highest recorded PM2.5 levels in recent years, with some sites reaching ~17 µg/m³
• Driven primarily by savanna burning and wildfire activity

Source: ABS – Air Quality

Sustainability Statistics Data Sources

1. ABS Measuring What Matters sustainability framework (2025 update). ABS
2. ABS Net greenhouse gas emissions table. ABS
3. National Greenhouse Gas inventories (State/Territory emissions). DCCEEW
4. Protected areas data by state. Wikipedia
5. Air quality (PM2.5) summary information. ABS