AgricultureID

Country agriculture profile · East Asia & Pacific

Australia

Australia is a highly commercialized, export-oriented agricultural producer operating across one of the driest inhabited continents. Broadacre grain and livestock enterprises dominate by area, and the country is a leading exporter of wheat, barley, wool, beef, and cotton. Farming is characterized by large holdings, low input intensity per hectare, high mechanization, and pronounced exposure to drought and climate variability.

Stable overview + dated statistics6 subnational regions →Updated: 2026-07-12

Farming systems (stable overview)

Climate zones

  • Arid and semi-arid interior
  • Mediterranean (southern and southwestern margins)
  • Temperate (southeast and Tasmania)
  • Subtropical to tropical (north and northeast)

Agroecological zones

  • Southern wheat-sheep belt
  • Northern and interior grazing rangelands
  • High-rainfall temperate coastal zones
  • Murray-Darling Basin irrigation districts

Dominant crop systems

  • Rainfed winter cereals (wheat and barley) and canola across the southern grain belt
  • Irrigated cotton and rice in the Murray-Darling Basin
  • Sugarcane along the tropical Queensland coast
  • Wine grapes, horticulture, and pulses

Major livestock systems

  • Extensive rangeland beef cattle across the north and interior
  • Merino and prime-lamb sheep for wool and meat in the temperate south
  • Pasture-based dairy in high-rainfall southern zones

Irrigation: Irrigation is concentrated in the Murray-Darling Basin and depends on highly variable surface-water allocations managed through water-trading markets.

Latest verified data

Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.

Latest available agricultural indicators, with year and unit
IndicatorValueUnitYear
Agricultural land47.22% of land area2023
Agricultural land area3,632,436.78sq. km2023
Cereal yield2,689.7kg per hectare2024
Cereal production52,350,446.71metric tons2024
Livestock production index87.48index (2014–2016 = 100)2022
Agriculture value added2.04% of GDP2024
Average precipitation534mm per year2022
Irrigated agricultural land0.54% of agricultural land2023

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Commodity market data

7,049 official observations across 60 commodities. Figures are shown on each commodity page with the unit, status and release its source published.

Commodities with official market series for this country
CommodityMetrics recorded
AlmondsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
AvocadosArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
BananasArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Barley GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Feed use, Index value, Producer price, Export value, Imports, Import value
Black PeppercornsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Buckwheat GrainExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cashew NutsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
ChickpeasArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cocoa BeansExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Cotton LintProduction, Beginning stocks, Ending stocks, Exports, Index value, Export value, Imports, Import value
CottonseedProduction, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Index value, Export value, Import value
CowpeasIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
CucumbersArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value
DatesIndex value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dried ChilliesExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dried Tobacco LeafIndex value, Exports, Export value
Dry BeansArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry Bulb OnionsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Dry PeasArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
FlaxseedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh ApplesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh BlueberriesArea harvested, Production, Yield
Fresh OrangesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh PineapplesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh StrawberriesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Fresh SweetcornArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value
Fresh TomatoesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Green CoffeeExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
GroundnutsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Index value, Export value, Import value
HazelnutsExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Head CabbageArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Hemp FibreExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Hen EggsProduction, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Jute FibreExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
LentilsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Maize GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Feed use, Imports, Index value, Producer price, Export value, Import value
Milled RiceBeginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Export value, Import value
Millet GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Domestic use, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Oat GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Feed use, Index value, Producer price, Export value, Imports, Import value
Pigeon PeasImports, Import value
PistachiosArea harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
RapeseedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Index value, Producer price, Export value, Import value
Raw Cow MilkProduction, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Raw WoolProduction, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Rice PaddyArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Rye GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Domestic use, Exports, Feed use, Index value, Export value
Safflower SeedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value
Sesame SeedExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sorghum GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Feed use, Imports, Index value, Producer price, Export value, Import value
SoybeansArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Index value, Export value, Import value
SugarcaneArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Sunflower SeedArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Index value, Export value, Import value
Sweet PotatoesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Tea LeafExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Triticale GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value
Vanilla BeansExports, Export value, Imports, Import value
WalnutsArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value
Ware PotatoesArea harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value
Wheat GrainArea harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Feed use, Imports, Index value, Producer price, Export value, Import value
YamsImports, Import value

How these figures are recorded

Cereal yield over time

201320192024
Australia — Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Bars start at zero.
Show data table
Australia — Cereal yield in kg per hectare by year
Yearkg per hectare
20132,194.3
20141,999.1
20152,098
20162,670.4
20172,043.5
20181,818.2
20191,665.8
20202,515.9
20212,817
20223,277.8
20232,690.9
20242,689.7

Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12

Derived indicator

Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 8.5 % of agricultural land (2023)

Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (4.0) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (47.2). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.

Documented crops & livestock

Agricultural institutions

  • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) — Government research and economic-analysis bureau within the federal agriculture department.
  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) — National science agency with major agriculture and food research programs.
  • Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) — Statutory corporation investing in grains research, development, and extension.

Agricultural authorities

Official public bodies verified against government sources. AgricultureID is independent and not affiliated with them.

  • Agriculture VictoriaDepartment

    Agriculture Victoria is the first-order subnational public authority responsible for agriculture in Victoria.

  • Department of Natural Resources and Environment TasmaniaDepartment

    Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania is the first-order subnational public authority responsible for agriculture in Tasmania.

  • Department of Primary IndustriesDepartment

    Department of Primary Industries is the first-order subnational public authority responsible for agriculture in Queensland.

  • Department of Primary Industries and Regional DevelopmentDepartment

    Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is the first-order subnational public authority responsible for agriculture in Western Australia.

  • Department of Primary Industries and Regions South AustraliaDepartment

    Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia is the first-order subnational public authority responsible for agriculture in South Australia.

  • NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional DevelopmentDepartment

    NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is the first-order subnational public authority responsible for agriculture in New South Wales.

All agricultural authorities in Australia

Data coverage & limitations

Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.

What AgricultureID has indexed for Australia
LayerStatusWhat is held
Agricultural authoritiesPartly covered6 records
Official registriesCovered3 records
Compliance requirementsNot yet indexed—
Support programmesNot yet indexed—
Biosecurity listingsNot yet indexed—
Variety registrationsCovered2 records
Input authorisationsCovered13,972 records
Extension resourcesNot yet indexed—
Market statisticsCovered480 records
Soil survey observationsNot yet indexed—
Border requirementsCovered1 record
Farm economics figuresNot yet indexed—
Climate, drought and water valuesCovered73 records

This page describes what AgricultureID has indexed, not what exists. A layer shown as not yet indexed means nobody has looked, and never that the thing is absent in that country. How coverage is worked out.

  • Statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; single-year figures should not be read as a fixed baseline.
  • National definitions of agricultural land, holdings, and commodities differ from those used by other countries, limiting direct comparison.
  • Most agricultural land is low-productivity grazing rangeland, so land-area shares overstate the intensity of cropping.
  • Severe drought cycles cause large year-to-year swings in production, making any single season potentially unrepresentative.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]World Bank Open Data — World Development Indicators (opens in a new tab)

    World Bank

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Authoritative

    Cited for: Production, land-use, and commodity context

    Type:
    Intergovernmental organization
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12