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# 🇦🇺 Australia: 2026 National Capability Ratings
- URL: https://www.ginc.org/australia-2026-national-capability-ratings/
- Published: 2026-01-09T01:08:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-02-01T01:01:36.000Z
- Description: Australia sits 19th on the Global Capability Frontier, with strong performance all around, but lacking a T1 role in any of the nine capability domains.
- Author: Global Institute for National Capability
- Tags: Australia, Capability Ratings

QUICK TAKE · AI Summary 

- 🇦🇺 Australia sits 19th on the Global Capability Frontier, with strong performance all around, but lacking a T1 role in any of the nine capability domains.
- GINC's National Capability Assessments focus on capability quality, not quantity and favour broad dominance over specialisation. As a medium sized, developing economy, 🇦🇺 Australia excels in soft and economic capabilities.

**Figure 1\. Australia's National Capability Relative to Global Frontier Nations**

| Capability               | ABBREV | 🇦🇺 Tier | Frontier Nations – T1                        |
| ------------------------ | ------ | --------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **Hard Capability**      |        |           |                                              |
| Critical Technology      | CT     | 🇦🇺 T6   | 🇺🇸                                         |
| Strategic Infrastructure | SI     | 🇦🇺 T4   | 🇨🇭🇫🇮🇯🇵🇰🇷🇳🇱🇳🇴🇸🇬🇸🇪🇦🇪🇺🇸     |
| National Security        | NS     | 🇦🇺 T4   | 🇮🇱🇺🇸                                     |
| **Soft Capability**      |        |           |                                              |
| Human Capital            | HC     | 🇦🇺 T4   | 🇨🇭🇪🇪🇮🇱🇸🇬🇺🇸                         |
| Information Influence    | II     | 🇦🇺 T3   | 🇩🇰🇫🇮🇯🇵🇰🇷🇳🇱🇳🇴🇸🇬🇸🇪🇨🇭🇦🇪🇺🇸 |
| Governance Integrity     | GI     | 🇦🇺 T4   | 🇨🇭🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇮🇱🇳🇴🇸🇬🇸🇪             |
| **Economic Capability**  |        |           |                                              |
| Financial Strength       | FS     | 🇦🇺 T3   | 🇫🇷🇩🇪🇸🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸                     |
| Production & Innovation  | PI     | 🇦🇺 T2   | 🇨🇭🇮🇱🇰🇷🇸🇬🇸🇪🇺🇸                     |
| Investment & Trade       | IT     | 🇦🇺 T3   | 🇨🇭🇪🇪🇮🇱🇰🇷🇸🇬🇺🇸                     |

*Source.* [*GINC Data Laboratory*](https://data.ginc.org/?ref=ginc.org)*, January 2026*

**Figure 2\. Australia's Top 10 Capability Groups**

| Rank | Capability Domain       | Capability Group                          | Score | PERC  |
| ---- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| 5    | Financial Strength      | 🇦🇺 Financial Governance & Regulation    | 15.0  | 98.1% |
| 6    | Investment & Trade      | 🇦🇺 Trade Policy & Institutions          | 15.3  | 97.7% |
| 7    | Information & Influence | 🇦🇺 Language & People-to-People Exchange | 15.0  | 97.2% |
| 8    | National Security       | 🇦🇺 Intelligence Capability              | 15.6  | 96.7% |
| 8    | Financial Strength      | 🇦🇺 Financial Markets Depth & Liquidity  | 14.3  | 96.7% |
| 8    | Financial Strength      | 🇦🇺 Sovereign Wealth & Reserve Capacity  | 14.0  | 96.7% |
| 9    | Information & Influence | 🇦🇺 Cultural Reach & Influence           | 15.3  | 96.3% |
| 10   | National Security       | 🇦🇺 Cyber Capability                     | 15.0  | 95.8% |
| 10   | Financial Strength      | 🇦🇺 Resilience & Shock Absorption        | 14.3  | 95.8% |
| 11   | Human Capital           | 🇦🇺 Higher Education                     | 15.3  | 95.3% |

*Source.* [*GINC Data Laboratory*](https://data.ginc.org/?ref=ginc.org)*, January 2026*

**Figure 3\. Australia's Bottom 10 Capability Groups**

| Rank | Capability Domain        | Capability Group                         | Score | PERC  |
| ---- | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| 24   | Investment & Trade       | 🇦🇺 Global Value Chain Role             | 12.7  | 89.3% |
| 24   | Investment & Trade       | 🇦🇺 Export Sophistication               | 12.3  | 89.3% |
| 25   | Human Capital            | 🇦🇺 Digital & AI Literacy               | 14.3  | 88.8% |
| 25   | Production & Innovation  | 🇦🇺 Research & Development              | 13.3  | 88.8% |
| 26   | Production & Innovation  | 🇦🇺 Industrial & Manufacturing Capacity | 11.3  | 88.3% |
| 27   | Production & Innovation  | 🇦🇺 Output Complexity                   | 12.7  | 87.9% |
| 27   | Critical Technology      | 🇦🇺 Energy Technology                   | 10.3  | 87.9% |
| 32   | Strategic Infrastructure | 🇦🇺 Advanced Manufacturing              | 13.3  | 85.5% |
| 33   | Strategic Infrastructure | 🇦🇺 Energy Infrastructure               | 13.3  | 85.0% |
| 116  | National Security        | 🇦🇺 Nuclear Capability                  | 1.7   | 46.3% |

*Source.* [*GINC Data Laboratory*](https://data.ginc.org/?ref=ginc.org)*, January 2026*