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Cyberbullying Statistics Australia

by Trevor Moore / updated: October 6, 2022

Report Highlights

One out of every five young Aussies reported social exclusion, facing threats or abuse while online between June 2016 and June 2017.
85% of bullying instances comprise the peers of the involved parties as onlookers.
Cyberbullying results in at least three cases of suicide among the cohort aged between 5 and 17 years.
Over the decade spanning 2010 and 2020, there was a 32% rise in the cases of cyberbullying.
More than half of the children who experience cyberbullying do not talk to their parents about it.
83% of the students who bully others online also bully others physically.
84% of students who face cyber abuse are also victims of physical abuse.

Women facing cyberbullying

A 2018 survey with 500 female participants found out that, for every ten women, three experience abuse online.
Almost half of them were aged between 18 and 24 years.
37% of these women said that the bullying they faced online made them feel that their physical safety was at risk.
Two out of every five women experience online abuse motivated by gender – misogyny, and sexism.
Racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic abuse affects 48% of moderate to active female internet users in Australia.
11% of women facing online abuse report having their identifying information shared online without their consent.

Image abuse

11% of Australians have faced image-grounded cyber abuse.
One in every two victims of sexual image or video content abuse had identifying information on the images or videos.
80% of Australians acknowledge that it is criminal to share sexual images without consent.
At least one in five Australians have been bystanders of image cyber abuse.
Of adults over 18 years, females are twice as likely to face abuse as compared to men.
47% of those who feel the pressure to share nude images eventually face image abuse.
63% of the victims are abused by people close to them including, an ex (13%), relationship partner (12%), family member (10%), or colleague at work (4%).

Effects of online abuse

Cyberbullying leads to a higher probability of suicide than traditional bullying.
Young Aussies facing online abuse react to it but in different ways. 28% asked for help from their friends, 55% approached their parents, 12% made a report to the respective platform, and 38% had to block off the offender.
The young people (15% of the kids and 24% among the teens) also acknowledged the presence of negative behaviour towards someone else online.
The abuse is a chain effect, with 90% of the kids admitting to being online abusers had themselves experienced a negative endeavour while online.
Across all ages, Australia sees about ten suicides related to cyberbullying every week.
7% of students in middle and high school have had web pages created, targeting abuse towards them.

Online hate speech as a cause of cyberbullying

A study conducted by eSafetyresearch found that 14% of adults were targeted by hateful online speech between August 2018 and August 2019.
Persons who identified as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders, or LGBTQI faced more than double the average rate of online hate speech.
36% of the people who faced online hate speech sought for formal and informal assistance by blocking the offender, filing a report, or talking to one’s family.
64% of people who face online hate speech failed to take any action against it.
58% of those who experience online hate speech end up with a negative outcome on various aspects of their lives including reputation, emotional state.
70% of the adults felt that online hate speech was on the rise and more needs to be done to stop it. 78% wanted the social media platforms to be held accountable while 71% felt new laws should be introduced to this effect.
47% of Aussies who face hate speech are attacked by a person they are familiar with; 19% are abused by a friend, while 13% face abuse from strangers.
54% of parties who faced online hate speech choose to ignore it.
Of those who did not take action, 24% felt taking action would change nothing, 17% did not know what to do, and 7% were too embarrassed to act.
46% of those who took action blocked the hating person, 45% reported the offending party, 36% spoke to someone about it, 19% confronted their abuser, 15% contacted the police, and 11% chose to spend less time online.
Three out of ten people who faced hate speech were not satisfied by the actions taken to resolve the issue.

How Australians perceive cyberbullying

A Relationships Australia September 2020 survey revealed the following about Australians’ opinions on cyberbullying.

74% of the respondents acknowledged that cyberbullying was a big problem among school-aged children, 24% only saw it as kind of a problem, with 2% saying it was not a problem.
More than 50% of the respondents felt they were able to address cyberbullying, but also 20% of these participants were unsure about their general understanding of child mental health.
In addressing cyberbullying, 97% of the respondents felt the abuser’s parents were required to take action, 61% felt the government was required to take responsibility, and 70% felt that the platform where the abuse took place ought to be held responsible.
Slightly over half (53%) of the respondents insisted that the school was accountable for any cyberbullying that occurs between students outside school or during off-school hours.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cyberbullying in Australia

In 2020, there were 21,000 reports of online abusive content, which represented a 90% rise over the previous year.
Adults faced a rise of 40% in cases of cyber abuse, while the instances of online abuse targeting children rose by 30%.
There was a 114% rise over 2019 in the number of cases involving sharing intimate images without consent.
Queensland Kids Helpline saw a 14% increase in the number of calls received as the pandemic started. The calls revolved around children seeking help with mental health, suicidal thoughts, and instances of cyber abuse.

A Relationships Australia Monthly Website Survey (September 2020) focussed on cyberbullying targeting school children, established;

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning was embraced and this increased the exposure that children had to cyberbullying. 70% of the respondents agreed that schoolchildren were exposed to online bullying.

Sources

eCommerce Statistics Australia

by Trevor Moore / updated: October 27, 2021

Report Highlights

eCommerce payments in Australia reached $36.7 billion in 2020, and the figure is projected to reach $54.2 billion by the end of 2021.
Online sales posted a 55% year over year increase in 2020 from 2019.
Smartphones are used in making 64% of online purchases.
48% of the purchases are made by a laptop, 28% by a desktop PC, and 21% are completed using a tablet.
On average, the number of online shoppers in December 2020 was 21% higher than the figure in December 2019.
Between 2020 and 2024, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the eCommerce industry is predicted to be at 8%.
In 2020, nine million Aussie households shopped online, representing 82% of all households.
Online retail spending represented a 16.3% cut of the total volume of retail spend in 2020.
Food and personal care products accounted for 25% of the revenue from eCommerce.
Fashion contributed another 25%, ‘toys, Do-It-Yourself products, and hobbies’ contributed 20%, electronics represented 18% with ‘appliances and furniture’ at 11% of the eCommerce revenue.
Australia Post is the shipping service provider of choice for most (65%) of online shoppers, while StarTrack and CouriersPlease serve 13% and 5% of the users respectively.

Revenue and financial statistics

Revenue from eCommerce in Australia was $25.7 billion in 2020.
Credit cards and debit cards are the preferred modules of payment for e-commerce activities, accounting for approximately 50% of all transactions.
In 2019, 13% of online eCommerce payments were made via bank transfer, 52% via debit/ credit cards, 22% using digital wallets, and only 7% used cash.
In the 2020/21 financial year, Australians spent $48.6 billion in online retail shopping; a 35% year over year increase.
Woolworths Australia sold products worth $1.7 billion in 2020, Coles Online netted $981 million and, the Apple Store Online had revenue of $827 million.
These top three online stores moved volume amounting to 15% of the total online revenue.
Fraud in e-retail transactions resulted in losses worth $447.2 million in 2020, with approximately $400 million lost to Card Not Present (CNP) cases.

User Statistics

Consumer penetration of e-commerce is 69% among Australians.
In 2019, 33% of eCommerce trades were completed using a mobile device; 55% on a web browser and 45% in-app.
57% of Australian online shoppers opted to support local businesses in 2020.
Customers highly appreciate customer experience in eCommerce. One out of three consumers change their seller when goods bought are not personalised.
77% of online shopping households are keen to see sustainability in the products they purchase, with about 85% of the said shoppers seeing it necessary to receive information on the sustainability of production.
17 million Aussies visited an online retail store in every month of the financial year 2020/21.
76% of online shoppers make a purchase at least once a month. 27% make weekly purchases and 25% buy goods every fortnight or three weeks.
While 40% of eCommerce customers buy groceries online, one in every three online shoppers have never made grocery purchases online.
80% of eCommerce customers conduct research before making a purchase online.
51% of online shoppers feel the biggest shortcoming is the inability to test or try out a purchased item. A quarter of them feel the lack of a physical shopping experience is the biggest drawback.

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Statistics

In early 2020, Buy Now Pay Later saw rising popularity among users. Afterpay, a huge market player boasted 3.3 million users representing a 5.5% share in the market.
As of May 2021, 45% of Australian online shoppers used BNPL as a payment option. 65% of millennials, 45% of Gen X, 51% of Gen Z and 33% of baby boomers.
One in every four online shoppers has used BNPL to purchase clothes and accessories.
BNPL-online shoppers highly consider the user experience before using a BNPL service. Users would forfeit the item to be purchased altogether if the process was complex (53%) or it took too long (50%).
Online businesses attribute approximately 31% of their sales to BNPL transactions.
Of every four eCommerce businesses, one reports that more than 50% of their revenue is grossed from BNPL services.
BNPL helped 77% of online businesses that used it to be able to provide better customer experience.
67% of these businesses also reported increased customer loyalty as a result of BNPL.
40% of online businesses offer the BNPL option to customers. An extra 18% of these businesses plan to offer BNPL before the end of 2021.

Social media, online advertisement, and drivers in Australia’s e-commerce

The expenditure for online retail advertisements rose by 5% to 16% between the financial years 2019/20 and 2020/21.
Australians under 40 years mostly factor the price or cost before buying a product while those who are over 40 are influenced by the products themselves.
Social media sites help 36% of online product consumers get the desired product or even discover a new one.
Product advertisement done online exposes products to 26% of consumers. Price comparison is the source for 27% of online shoppers while marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon expose 35% of consumers to products.
Social media plays an important role in finding new products for 37% of online shoppers, while 23% discover new products from social media influencers.
Nine out of ten Instagram users follow at least one business account, with 83% of Aussies on Instagram finding new products on the platform.
Aussies who shop online cite various reasons for why they do so. 76% of these consumers cite convenience, 50% get free deliveries, 45% say online shopping gives them lower prices, 37% receive discounts, and 30% appreciate the availability of price comparison.
26% of online shoppers purchase products online to enjoy fast shipping services, 25% shop to find specific products, 13% love the possibility of free returns, and 10% shop online to have the convenience of other customers’ review.
Consumers depend on several things to get the products they are looking for online. 70% perform a direct search, 47% ask friends or family, 45% look into online stores and retail shops, while 36% explore online catalogues.
Convenience and trust significantly influence buying decisions. 27% of consumers would purchase a product without considering the price if they trust the brand.
48% would pay a higher price to get products to make their lives simpler.
70% say for first-time brand purchases, they usually conduct research first, before making the purchase decision.

User reward programs

90% of Aussies who purchase products online have signed up for one or more shopping reward programs.
55% are members of between one and three of these reward programs, 30% have subscribed to between 4 and 6 programs, 7% to between 7 and 9 programs and 8% of the shoppers have signed up to more than ten of the reward programs.
Nearly half (45%) of users signed up to reward programs have four or more cards.
Reward programs are associated with the confidence consumers have over the use of their personal data. 13% of users are ‘very concerned’ about how their personal data is used, 41% are ‘somewhat concerned’, and 32% are ‘not at all concerned’.
The proportion of users who are ‘very concerned’ rises with the age bracket; 10% of those between 18 – 29 years, 12% of the ones aged between 30-39 years, 13% for ages 40 to 49, 16% for 50-59 years and 17% for 60 to 70 years.
Not all users understand what the personal information collected is used for. Three out of ten of the users don’t really know if or not retailers share the personal data collected via reward programs.
86% of the customers feel their personal data is channelled to targeted advertising, and 82% believe it is used to market products to them.

What are Aussies buying?

Between July 2020 and July 2021, 72% of consumers bought clothes, shoes, and other fashion products online.
54% of the consumers purchased grocery, meals, and takeaway foods.
45% of the users put their money into personal care and beauty, 43% into electronics and tech, 40% into books, toys, and games.
In addition, 34% bought home and garden products, 30% got alcoholic drinks, 26% purchased pet food, and 15% put their money into fitness and sporting goods.
Most of the clothing purchases are made by women, with eight out of ten of them done by females aged between 18 and 39.
Home and garden products are mostly scooped by persons between 50 and 59 years.
Women (61%) contribute hugely to the care and beauty products’ purchases done online.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

IAB Australia’s study conducted in July 2021 found that 39% of respondents had conducted online shopping in 2020.
For 45% of the respondents, the rate of online shopping increased this year, while it dropped for 15% of them.
Half of the respondents said they would integrate both online and physical stores shopping after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic scaled-up support for small businesses, with 34% of respondents saying they purchased more items online from small businesses over the pandemic period.
46% said they bought more goods from local retailers over the said period.

Sources

Car Sales Statistics Australia

by Trevor Moore / updated: December 9, 2021

Report Highlights

There are approximately 1,000,000 new car sales in Australia every year.
There was an increase of 13.5% in car sales in December 2020 as compared to the previous year.
Sports utility vehicles account for about half of the cars sold in Australia.
Conventional passenger cars account for 24%, while light vehicles account for 22% of the total market share.
85% of Australian households own a car, with most of them purchasing one after diverting the money they were to spend on leisure holidays.

Car sales over the years

More than 8 million cars were sold in Australia between 2010 and 2017.
The figures of sales have risen constantly between 2011 and 2018 after which they dropped to 1.06 million in 2019.
2020 had the lowest car sales, failing to hit the million mark (0.917 million).
Predictions indicate that 2021 will have the sales number go above the million mark again. Indications favour this prediction, with sales of over 79,000 in January, the highest since 2012.
Used cars also form a significant part of the sales in Australia, with the average age of an Australian car being slightly over ten years.

Hybrid & Electric Car Sales Statistics

Electric cars continue to penetrate the market in Australia and account for a measly 0.7% of new car sales in Australia.
The numbers of units sold remain lower when compared to internal combustion engine vehicles.
The numbers of EV sales have been slowly rising as more people adopt the green movement. 49 vehicles EVs were sold in 2011, 253 in 2012,293 in 2013, 1322 in 2014, 1771 in 2015, 1369 in 2016, 2287 in 2017. This number dropped to 2216 in 2018.
The sale of electric cars increased by 69% between December 2019 and December 2020.
2217 EVs were sold in the first half of 2021.
Victoria was the lead state in the number of EVs purchased in the six years from 2011- 2017 with 1324 vehicles sold, followed by New South Wales with 1238 vehicles.
The number of pure electric vehicles rose 16% from 2019 to 2020. On the other hand, hybrid vehicles rose by 94% within the same time period.
85% of hybrid vehicles sold in Australia were Toyota.
As of 2021, Tesla occupies 65% of the electric vehicle market in NSW, with sales doubling per month in comparison to the previous year.
Renault Zoe sold 48 cars in 2018, while Jaguar sold 47 cars in the same period.
Electric vehicles had a 0.004% share in market car sales in 2011, 0.023% in 2012, 0.026% in 2013, 0.12% in 2014, 0.15% in 2015, 0.12% in 2016, 0.19% in 2017, 0.3% in 2018 and 0.6% in 2019.
30% of Aussies say they would easily take up the electric car option if it had a well-established support and infrastructure. There are approximately 2,500 vehicle charging stations in Australia.

Car Sales by Make

In the year 2020, Toyota led in the number of cars sold in Australia with 204,000 units sold.
Mazda followed with 85000 units, Hyundai with 64000, Ford and Mitsubishi with 59,000 and 58,000 respectively.
Kia sold 56,000 units while Volkswagen and Nissan sold 39,000 and 38,000 units respectively.
Subaru sold 31,000 units while Mercedes Benz sold 29,000 units replacing Honda and Holden in the top 10 brands sold.
In the later months of 2020, Isuzu joined the top 10 car brands sold in Australia with a 29. 1% increase from the previous year.
Just before the pandemic, BMW was the top-selling brand selling list with 2000 units sold but lost its spot to others.

Car Sales by Model

Seven of the top-selling models in Australia last year were either light commercial vehicles or sports utility vehicles. The former claimed 22.4% of the market share, which was down 9% from 2019.
The Aussie market has slowly drifted away from passenger cars with a drop in market share of 29% to 24.2% in just one year.
The Toyota Hilux was the best-selling car in Australia, with over 45,00 units sold.
Following was the Ford Ranger with 40,000 sales.
Toyota vehicles continued dominating the list with the next three cars on the list being Toyota brands; RAV4 with 38,537 units sold, corolla with 25,882 units sold and the Toyota Land cruiser with 25,132 units sold.
Mazda CX-5 sold over 21,000 units despite being a new entrant in the top sold cars list.
Hyundai i30 sold 20,000 units, whereas Mitsubishi Triton had sales of 18,000. Toyota Prado also sold approximately 18,000 units but a little less than the aforementioned.
The Kia Cerato closed the top ten list with 17,559 units sold.
All the models on the list had sold more in 2020 than in the previous year, except for Toyota Corolla, which had a 9.4 % drop.
As of early 2021, Audi sales were down 11.8%, Land Rover sales down 23.1%, BMW down 2.4%, Mercedes with a drop of 13%, while Lexus sales dropped 0.2%.

Car Sales according to Segment

Mazda-CX 3 was the leading light SUV seller in 2020 with 1333 units sold, ahead of Toyota Yaris Cross and VW T-Cross with 517 and 440 units sold respectively.
Medium SUVs numbers were also high, starting with RAV4 having 3542 units sold, CX 5 sold 2060 units and X-trail sold 1822 units.
In the large SUVs segment, Toyota Prado sold 2500 units, whereas Kia Sorento sold 739.
Toyota Hilux was the leading LUV sold in 2020 with 4453 units, followed by the Ford ranger with 3875 units, whereas Isuzu D-max sold 1775 vehicles.
For sports cars, the Ford Mustang was the leading model with 334 units sold followed by the Mercedes C-class Coupe with 153 units.
The more expensive brands costing more than 200k sold fewer units, with Ferrari Coupe selling 16 units, Porsche 911 selling 30 units, whereas only nine Bentley Coupes got sold.
Toyota Hiace sold the leading units, 1382 among vans, followed by the Hyundai Iload.

Sources

Facebook Statistics Australia

by Trevor Moore / updated: October 27, 2021

Highlights

Average Daily Facebook Users in the World	1.79 Billion
Users with Daily Facebook Stories Globally	300 Million
Facebook Users who earn High Income through their Pages	74%
Facebook users who have access on their Mobile Phones	98.3%
Number of Facebook Ads in 2020 in Australia monthly	21
Average Australian active Facebook Users	16 Million
Percentage of Active Facebook Users in Australia	64%
Total Population of the Australian People	25 Million

Facts and Figures

Roughly 1.79 Billion users always visit Facebook daily.
Facebook is the 3rd most visited site globally.
Facebook is 3rd from YouTube and Google.
Facebook is the 5th most downloaded application in the Google Play Store.
Facebook Messenger is the fourth application that is downloaded in the Play Store.
Facebook is 17 years old.
The highest traffic of Facebook mainly occurs at midday on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
88% of most Facebook users are for connecting with family and friends.
53% of Facebook users’ adults do not know newsfeed display posts.
There are 300 Million users who have daily Facebook stories.

2020 Review

7.5 Million people mentioned in the Facebook daily, especially during the death of George Floyd regarding the Black Lives Matter
Beirut is among the 20 most mentioned subjects in Australia in the year 2020.
Dr Catherine Barrett had 562,000 followers in Australia due to the Kindness Pandemic in the year 2020.
Local Austalia businesses created new groups with over 10 Million followers by March 2020.
In the past three months, over 47 Million people supported Small Businesses in Australia.
Facebook live views and Instagram doubled during the lockdown in Italy.
Over 50% of Australians turned into fitness classes while connecting with local artists and others globally.
The Vice President of the US, Kamala Harris, was mentioned more than 10,000,000 in one day through a Facebook page during the selection process.
Kobe Bryant topped in discussion during his tragic passing.
Facebook was also the most used social media platform during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Ginsburg Ruth Bader was a feminist icon who was commemorated with over 6 Million posts on the Instagram and Facebook page with a hashtag of #Restinpower
There have been over 2.6 million people who have raised above $87 Million using Facebook Fundraiser in the year 2020.
The 2.6 Million people have a dire need of animal protection, ocean clean up among others.

Facebook Audience Statistics

There are over 74% of Facebook users who earn a high income.
Notably, there are roughly 75% females on Facebook, with 63% being male counterparts.

Users on Facebook Percentage Grouped with Age Bracket

People who are aged between 13 and 17 years represent 51% of the Facebook users.
The ones that have 18 years and 29 years represent 79% of Facebook usage.
Between 30 and 49 years, people represent 79% of Facebook usage.
On the other hand, people between 50 and 64 years of age represent 68%.
However, the ones that have over 65 years old represent 46% of the Facebook users.

Facebook Users Locations

Most of the Facebook users mostly live in urban areas, with a percentage of 73%.
Suburban dwellers follow with 69% in the usage of Facebook using.
Lastly, 66% of rural people use the Facebook application.

Facebook Users in 2020 October by Highest Number per Country

10% of users live in Canada or the US
The Asian-Pacific Facebook users have nearly 41.3% that are monthly active in Facebook usage.
41.3% are active users of Facebook usage.
Other countries that have the highest numbers include India, with over 310 Million by the year 2020.
The USA had 190 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
Indonesia had 140 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
Brazil had 130 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
Mexico had 92 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
The Philippines country had 81 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
Vietnam had 65 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
Thailand had 50 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
Egypt had 44 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.
Whereas Bangladesh had 39 Million Facebook users in the year 2020.

Advertising Statistics on Facebook

There have been over 2.14 Billion people who have reached through ads.
In the year 2020, between July and September grew by 45 Million with a 2.2%.
Notably, 35% of the Australian people are aged 13 years or over through Facebook ads.
The Facebook users who have the account make 43% female and 57% male in Australia.
Most women are likely to click Facebook ads between 35 and 65 years with a commercial prosperity platform.
The top 5 countries with great advertising reach areas include India, the US, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, when the Australian country did not make it to the top 20 in the list.
The average number of clicks on the Facebook app in Australia count to 23 monthly.
The worldwide clicks count at 12 ads monthly on the Facebook application.
Notably, any Facebook click in Australia is $1.72.
However, the price has been on the decrease from 2019 with a 6% figure.
The impression of the Facebook Ads created increased by 37% in 2019.
The male advertising audience reaches 19% for the ones that have years between 25 and 34 years.
However, the female counterparts reached 13% in 2019, with people between 25 and 34c years.
Notably, the global advertising audience in the Facebook platform has hit 13% of females who are aged between 25-34 years old.
Besides, 56.4% of the Facebook users who have ads are English-speaking people.
48% of Facebook users come from the US and Canada, which greatly impacts the economy.
Around 21 Facebook Ads are experienced in the country of Australia monthly.
58% of marketers will use Facebook Ads in the next 12 months.
50% of the marketers’ plan shows that Facebook ads are on the rise concerning organic activities.
However, the trend has been on the decline in the past two years as it was standing at 62%.
The research also shows that Facebook Ads are lightweight, with a percentage of 75.

Device Statistics for the Facebook Application

Roughly, there are 98.3% of Facebook users have access to their mobile phones.
79.9% of the users access the app through their phones.
1.7% uses desktop computers to access the Facebook application.
18.5% of the users on Facebook make it through using their phones and computers.
80.5% uses Android to access Facebook applications as a way of communication.
14.3% access their Facebook accounts through the use of IOS devices.
5.1% of the Facebook Users consistently access the platform using other undefined devices.
However, 94% of the required ad revenue always comes through phone usage.
Notably, 6% of the ad revenue is always through desktop applications that people have installed on their machines.

Facebook Benchmark Statistics

The page likes on Facebook have increased by 0.12% in the year 2020.
The post reach as compared to the page likes is at 7.01%.
However, the organic reach against page likes is 5.17%, while the pages that use paid media stand at 26.9%.

Sources

https://www.statista.com/statistics/304862/number-of-facebook-users-in-australia/

https://www.genroe.com/blog/social-media-statistics-australia/13492

https://www.smperth.com/resources/facebook/facebook-statistics/

Small Businesses Statistics Australia

by Trevor Moore / updated: October 26, 2021

Report Highlights

Active Trading Businesses Operating in Australia by June 2011	2,132,412
Australian Businesses that Exported Goods between 2010 and 2011	17,774
Active trading businesses in Australia in the year 2010	2,124,650
Small Businesses in Australia that Employ Four People or Less.	88%
New Businesses in Australia that Survive for only Four Operational Years	54%
Australian Businesses considered as Small and Medium Enterprises	99.8%
Large Businesses that experienced Barriers to Innovation between 2010 and 2011	50.3%
Number of Businesses in Australia	2.3 Million

There were 61.2% non-employing businesses in Australia, with 23.9% employing businesses and small businesses accounting for 10.8%.
The export has increased by 1.4% from the year 2009 to 2010
In 2010-2011, small businesses and medium businesses had 65.8% and 58.8% barriers to innovation.

The Dominance of Small Businesses

At the same time, 62% are non-employing, with approximately 98% employing 20 people and less.
There are 1 to 4 employees in small businesses that make up 71% of total employing businesses.
In 2017 and 2018, there has been an increase in the non-employing category by 5%.
The employing categories range from 1 to 4, 5 to 19, 20 to 199, and 200 plus.

Businesses in Australia Survival

Of the businesses that started less than four years ago, 46% are not operational at the moment.
Notably, one in three businesses in Australia that has been operational in less than four years does not operate currently.
36% of the businesses in operational for 4 years no longer exist.
There have been over 2 million businesses that have been operational in Australia for the previous four years.

Top 3 Australian Industries that have Highest Business Number

There are 383,326 construction businesses in Australia.
There are 280,425 technical, scientific, and professional services in Australia.
There are 252,249 hiring, real estate, and rental services in Australia.
There are over 2.3 million businesses in Australia.
NSW and VIC are leading with over 2/3 of all Australian businesses that make 783,050 of all businesses.
Victoria makes the largest annual growth with approximately 27 353 new businesses.
The highest rate of entry in ACT stands at 18% regarding experience in the revolving of door effect
The ACT also has the highest exit rates of 13%.
The lowest revolving door effect entry is Tasmania, with the lowest exit rate of 10%.

Turnover Size Range

The small business turnover for the ones operating from zero to $50,000 is 24.8%.
The ones that have between $50,000 and $200,000 is 34.3%.
Between $200,000 and $2,000,000 stands at 34.1%.
The business that has a turnover of between $2 000,000 and $5,000,000 is at 4.0%.
The ones at 1.4% operate at a turnover of between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000.
Nevertheless, that has $10,000,000 and over is at 1.5%.

Start-Up Attempts Numbers and Types

Over 1000 participants of the 30,000 households contacted randomly that were identified as the nascent firm founder.
The 625 nascent firms with roughly 559 young firms were corporative in the interview.
Business creation in the US stands at 4.9% as compared to 3.4% for Australia.
Besides, the start-up retail industry stands at 13.6%, while consumer services are at 12.5%.
Health, social services and education start-up business have a rate of 11.9%.
Australian business services and consultations stand at 11.2%.
Construction businesses are at 9.5%, while manufacturing is at 6%.
The hospitality industry is at 4.1%, and the agricultural industry stands at 5.3%.
Besides, the communication business in the Australian business is at 4.0%.
However, the remaining 22% are in the miscellaneous industry.

Private Sector Contribution to Value added in Australian Business Size

Most of the small businesses contribute around 34% to the private sector industries in Australia between 2010 and 2011.
23% contributed to medium-sized businesses, while 43 % is for the large businesses in Australia.
Between 2013 and 2016, there have been Nano businesses in Australia that increased significantly.
In 2013, the dataset stood at 35%, while in 2016, it was at 42%.
Small businesses are the ones that are considered to have less than 20 employees in Australia.

Industry Contribution to Australian Small Business In Private Sector

Around 80% of total forestry, fishing, and agricultural industry value-added tend to be attributed to Australian small businesses.
39% contribute to the private sector within the service sectors.
There is also around 20% in the manufacturing sector that is up from 19% in 2009.
However, 9% contribute to the mining sector.

Employment Share In the Private Sector By Business Size By The End Of 2011, June

84% 0f private Employment in the small business sector revolves around the service sector.
There have been 9% of businesses in the agricultural, fishing, and forestry industry.
In the manufacturing industry, there have been 6% in small scale businesses.
Besides, the mining sector counts for 1% in the small business arena in Australia.
Notably, 17% of the small business employments are in the service sector with much concentration to construction subsector.
In addition, 13% of the small businesses are in scientific, retail trade, professional, and technical services subsectors.

Value of Exported Goods

From 2010 to 2011, small businesses exported some goods that were worth $1.24 Billion.
The export represented 0.5% of the goods exported total value.
However, it is notable that from 2009 to 2010, the export value stood at 0.6%.
The total value of the export from 2010 to 2011 was 32.9% from the small business enterprises.
1% was from the manufacturing industry, while the largest market share was from the transport, postal, manufacturing, and warehousing sector, with approximate 17.9%.
However, the retail trade recorded a growth of 9.1% that significantly impacted the small industries in Australian small businesses.
A large decrease in the export value in small businesses recorded 11.1%, especially in the fishing, forestry, and agricultural sectors.
Nevertheless, the construction subsector recorded a decrease of 3.2%, which greatly impacted the small businesses sector in the Australian country.

Foreign Ownership Regarding Employment Size in Australia as of June 2011

97% of the Australian people own small businesses in the country.
9% of the employees in the small businesses are Australian natives in the businesses.
However, the number always decreases with a high employment size that makes the Australian people 20.2% with a small business with over 200 people.

Geographic Markets that Business Sell Services and Goods Regarding the Size of Employment

Where there is between 0 to 4 staff, there are approximately 78.9% of the market.
The outsiders stand at 37.5%, within the range of 0 to 4 employees.
The overseas market is at 5.7%, within the same range of 0 to 4 workers.
However, when the employment size increases, like over 200 people, the locals increase to 79.0%, while the overseas markets stand at 34.6%.

Survival Rate

The businesses survival rate in Australia has declined, with small businesses doing at 59.7 from 2007 to 2011.
Medium businesses with 20 and 199 staff have a survival rate of 75.8%, while the large businesses with over 200 persons stand at 74.3% in Australia.

Sources

https://www.asbfeo.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/ASBFEO-small-business-counts2019.pdf

https://mccrindle.com.au/insights/blog/australia-the-small-business-nation-2/

Uber Eats Statistics

by Trevor Moore / updated: October 6, 2022

Report Highlights

Uber Eats launched in Australia in 2016. It is available for both iOS & Android devices and can also be accessed using web browsers.
Each year, Aussies spend approximately $2.6 billion on food and drink orders made through popular food delivery companies such as Uber Eats, Foodora, and Menulog.
Uber Eats takes between 20% – 30% of the total revenue generated per trip.
Aussies make approximately 7,000 food delivery orders an hour.
Uber Eats provides job opportunities for approximately 59,000 people in Australia.

More statistics: Employee Statistics, Credit Card Statistics, Welfare Statistics.

User Statistics relating to Food Delivery Services

One in every three Aussies who reside in major cities uses food delivery services.
Food delivery services represent 12% of the sales made in the takeaway food delivery, café, and restaurant industry.
The food delivery industry in Australia has grown by 18% over the last three years.
In 2018, Australians spent about $12,300 on food and non-alcoholic drinks alone.
Uber Eats is the largest food delivery service in 2021, serving 12.8% of Aussies, up from 11.5% in February 2020. The new numbers are contributed to by, one in five of the millennials and another 20% of Generation Z.
The platform was available in more than 18 cities as of 2019 and it supports over 30,000 restaurants within Australia.

Delivery Workers Statistics

Uber Eats supports 59,000 workers in Australia, a figure which has been consistently rising over the years. It started with 7,000 in 2016 increasing to 27,000 in 2017. It then shot up to 46,000 and then 55,000 in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

During peak hours, the average delivery worker on Uber Eats can earn as much as $21.6 hourly. Workers who make deliveries using cars make an average of $20.47, cyclists $21.92 and those using motorcycles an average of $21.97.
As far as fulfilment is concerned, majority of the workers agree that they’ve got flexible working conditions. 89% of them report a high level of satisfaction, 7% are neutral and 5% report low levels of satisfaction.
Three in five Uber Eats workers clock 20 or fewer working hours per week with only 21% of the total reaching 30 or more hours per week.
Majority of the workers, 32%, work between 11 and 20 hours per week.
Uber Eats workers take part in other activities outside of the deliveries with 34% of them studying and 79% of them employed at one or more jobs.
Uber Eats also provides support to workers who would otherwise be unable to pursue traditional employment opportunities. Of its employees, only 7% would qualify for the traditional employment spots while up to 60% would find it difficult.
81% of Uber Eats workers are satisfied with the job, 82% say they love the work itself, 75% like the hours worked while 67% say it was the pay that they like.
The basic average cost incurred by all delivery workers includes $37 worth of background checks, and a $45 the delivery bag. In the case of cars owners, there is an additional maintenance cost approximated at $0.08 per km while the maintenance cost is $0.06 and $0.04 per km for motorcycles and bicycles respectively.

Competitor Statistics

In 2018, the combined penetration of food delivery services in Australia was 32%.

Uber Eats topped the list with a 19.5% penetration followed by Menulog at 18.6%, Deliveroo at 9.7% and Foodora (which exited the Australian market the same year) at 5.3%.
Australians spend a significant portion of their money on food delivery each month. Customers employing Uber Eats services spent a monthly average of $946. Deliveroo and Foodora user spent $836 and $885 each month.
The average number of orders made per month varied for each delivery service but none exceeded 3 orders per customer.
Menulog and Deliveroo had an average of 2 orders a month while Uber Eats and Foodora got an average of 2.2 orders every month.
The average value of orders made by customers on the respective services had Menulog at the peak with $39.6, followed by Uber Eats at $36.5, Deliveroo at $34.4, and Foodora at $33.7.

The average spending of Aussies on food delivery services has since increased.

By February 2021, customers were spending an average of $44 per delivery order on Uber Eats’ platform, a figure also recorded for Menulog customers.
DoorDash customers had the lowest average spend at $39 while Deliveroo customers led the charts with an average figure of $51 per order.

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Uber Eats

77% of Uber Eats’ delivery staff were not eligible for governmental support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
65% of these staff cited VISA restrictions as the main reason for ineligibility.
60% of the delivery staff joined Uber Eats to support themselves against the adverse effects of the pandemic.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic 31% of the staff increased the number of hours logged.
As compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, Aussies are spending 210% more on Uber Eats orders.

About Uber Eats in Australia

An extrapolation of the car rideshare company Uber, Uber Eats was launched in 2014 as an attempt to expand into other areas of the transport sector. Uber Eats is essentially an Uber service focused on delivering food, drinks and grocery products to its customers. The service which started in San Francisco, California has since grown to cover various parts of the world.

Uber Eats’ business model is quite simple. After the customer skims through the desired menu on the Uber Eats app, he/she places an order and is then able to track its progress until delivery. There are a variety of food items available from different groceries stores, dinners and restaurants.

Despite seeing steady and continued investment, Uber Eats has hardly been profitable. The company maintains that it anticipates to net financial benefits once it spreads enough to the point of reaching market stability. The lack of profitability could be seen as a source of concern especially considering that the COVID-19 pandemic scaled up the number of orders made. It could also be argued that the company’s model of paying drivers more than the fee paid by customers for delivery is not a route towards profitability.

Sources

Apple Pay Statistics Australia

by Trevor Moore / updated: September 7, 2021

Report Highlights

Apple Pay was launched in October 2014 following a long period of development as the giant tech company sought to incorporate payment start-ups and leading banks.
Customers using the service can conveniently pay their bills or complete other monetary transactions via the iOS app or the Safari browser.
Apple Pay is available in over 50 countries, including Australia.
As of 2018 December, Apple Pay had a user base of 43% of iPhone users.
Based on current figures and estimates, Apple Pay has been forecasted to control a tenth of global card payments by 2025.
90% of iPhones are compatible with Apple Pay.
According to the Federal Reserve Payments Study, a sum of $7.08 trillion was transacted on the platform in 2018.

More statistics: Uber Statistics, Tipping Statistics.

User Statistics in Australia

Apple Pay officially arrived in the Australian market late in 2015 following a partnership with American Express. Several major banks, later on, followed suit in supporting the service. While Samsung Pay and Google’s Google Pay have stood out as its main competitor, other services like Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay have come up strongly.

About 90% of all Aussies own a smartphone, and three out of every five use their phones to make cashless payments.
As of March 2021, more than 40% of the combined debit and credit card numbers of contactless transactions in Australian banks were done through digital wallets.
Lifestyle, electronic devices, sports, and food & beverages top the industries in which Apple Pay services are used, at a combined score of 16%.
Apple Pay saw the highest penetration figures in 2020 at 6.5%, an increase from 4.1% recorded in 2019 and 3.7% in 2018.
Comparatively, Google Pay, a close competitor in the contactless payment industry, justified 4.1% in 2020, 3.6% in 2019, and 2.3% in 2018.
Samsung Pay, the third-largest financial service provider, offering contactless payment options to customers, recorded fairly static growth. In 2018, only 0.7% of the population had taken up Samsung Pay, a proportion which rose to 1.0% in 2019 and remained as such in 2020.

Apple Pay Usage Statistics within Different Age Demographics

The use of Apple Pay in Australia varies across the Aussie population, with the highest figures being recorded by the cohort aged between 18 and 40 years.

Only 3% of persons aged between 18 and 29 years were invested in contactless mobile payment methods in 2016. By 2019, this figured had risen to 18%.
There was a change from 6% to 18% for the number of persons between 30 and 39 years who used contactless mobile payments at least once a week in the same period.
When considering those between 40 and 49 years, the increase was from 5% to almost 9% between 2016 and 2019.
The only decline in usage between 2016 and 2019 was recorded by the cohort aged between 50 to 64 years, where there was a drop from about 6% to about 5.5%.
The figures for those above 65 years who use contactless mobile payment services consistently remained under 5% in the same period.

A Roy Morgan study revealed the following findings with regards to the use of contactless payment options in Australia:

The young people focused on trends and technology (defined as 200 Metrotechs by Roy Morgan’s Helix Persona) are the biggest consumers of contactless payment services, with 17% of them using either Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.
Penetration of contactless payment methods is high in Australia. There is at least 1 contactless point of sale terminal (POS) for a stretch of every 25 citizens.

Impact of digital payment options

FIS Global Payments found that the number of contactless in-store payments (including figures for Apple Pay) made in 2020 exceeded physical payments. The total face-to-face payments fell by 50% in Australia.
The Coronavirus pandemic led to a spike in the adoption of Apple Pay to settle payments for goods and services. Merchants across Australia reported a 69% increase in transactions during this period.
According to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia data, the year-over-year comparison showed a 90% increase in digital wallet transactions as of March 2021.

The figure represented a surge from 36 million transactions in March 2020 to 68 million transactions in March 2021.

Digital wallets like Apple Pay saw debit card users move an average of AU$29 per transaction as of May this year. The figure for credit cards users under the same considerations was AU$44.

Banking, Provision of Service and Revenue

To provide services, Apple Pay leverages a user-friendly interface that allows customers to make their payments with ease.

Apple doesn’t charge its users any fees for using the Apple Pay service.
Apple Pay works with over 100 banks and card issuers in Australia.
Apple Pay’s heightened security protocols on transactions limit the volume of customer data stored on a merchant’s device to 65%.
Based on a controlled sample by Mozo, it was determined that 70% of bank account providers in Australia offer Apple Pay Services. Further, 70% of these banks support Google Pay services, while 55% have Samsung Pay services.
Apple Pay charges a 30% commission on payments made using the platform.
Affiliates that partner with Apple Pay get 1.8% of the transaction fee.
Apple Pay may require you to enter your PIN for purchases over a certain amount – $200 in Australia.
In 2018, Apple Pay, as a P2P payment system, was ranked best among similar providers with a score of 76%, excelling in data privacy and payment authentication.
As of 2019, Apple Pay’s peer to peer users contributed 15% to the overall P2P population.

What is Apple Pay?

Apple Pay is a digital payment and wallet service offered by Apple Inc. exclusively for consumers under the Apple banner. Initially only accessible via credit and debit cards in the US, Apple Pay has since expanded to several parts of the world, including Europe, The Middle East, Asia, South America, and Africa.

The launch of Apple Pay was meant to promote contactless payments, a nascent field at the time but whose development has been exceptional over the last few years. The service’s tremendous growth has more recently been seen with Apple Cash, an extension of Apple Pay, getting integrated to facilitate money transfer between users on iMessage. The latter is, however, only available to Apple users in the US.

Sources

Employee Statistics

by Trevor Moore / updated: July 13, 2021

Report Highlights:

In Australia, 25% of retail shrinkage is attributed towards employee theft.
Globally, employee theft costs $48.12 billion in revenue loss.
In 2018, the Australian retail sector lost $750 million in revenue.
55% of stock shrinkage in Australia is a result of employee theft.
Around 80% of Australian employees have considered engaging in employee theft.

Employee theft isn’t given as much prominence it deserves. In reality, this is a much more widespread issue than many people realize. This type of crime costs businesses an enormous amount of money every year and continues to be a major concern for all industries.

Such theft can also cause other issues within a company. It can lead to a reduction in payroll or increase in product or services prices. Employee theft may also have a snowball effect, leading to other workplace crimes as well.

Also read: Welfare statistics and Credit card statistics.

Global Employee Theft Statistics

Employee theft is a global issue, impacting countries and economies around the world. This results in a phenomenon known as retail shrinkage. It occurs across multiple retail sectors, causing billions of dollars in revenue loss.

Employee theft accounted for 39% of total shrinkage.
Employee theft increased by 11 percentage points within a year.
This resulted in a $48.12 billion loss.
In the US, 45% of the shrinkage was due to employee theft, costing the retail industry $16.56 billion.
Norway had the lowest shrinkage rate at 0.75%, but 30% was a result of employee theft.
Argentina had the lowest shrinkage rate in Latin America – 1% – but 90% was due to employee theft.

Region	Shrinkage by Share	Shrinkage by Value ($)
Europe	25%	10.22 billion
North America	45%	16.56 billion
Asia Pacific	22%	8.59 billion
Latin America	31%	3.35 billion

Employee Theft Statistics in Australia

At one point, Australia had the second highest rate of employee theft in the world. While the numbers have decreased, workplace theft has resulted in a significant amount of loss across the board.

Employee theft was responsible for 25% of retail shrinkage.
In 2018, it was estimated that 70% of workplace fraud was at the hand of current or former employees.
In 2018, of the $3 billion in retail shrinkage, $750 million was attributed to employee theft.
Employee theft results in $1.5 billion in lost revenue each year.
55% of stock shrinkage is linked to employee theft.
Around 80% of employees have thought about or committed theft from their workplace.

Employee Theft by Industry

Employee theft occurs across all sectors. Nevertheless, some industries are prone to this type of organisational crime than others. Those engaged in retail industries are most likely to have to contend with employee theft.

APAC had the lowest apparel specialist retailer employee thefts at just 11%.
In Latin America, 75% of retail shrinkage in jewellery stores was attributed to employee theft.
In North America, 81% of non-grocery retailers experienced shrinkage due to employee theft.
In Europe, 40% percentage of shrinkage was a result of employee theft.

Region	Apparel Specialist Retailer	Department/Convenience Stores	Jewellery Stores	Home Improvement/Gardening Stores
North America	44%	71%	41%	28%
Europe	24%	40%	20%	23%
Latin America	40%	25%	75%	30%
APAC	11%	23%	–	20%

Employee vs. Customer Theft Statistics

Apart from employee theft, customer theft or shoplifting is one of the biggest reasons for revenue loss for companies around the globe. Combined, they make up the majority of why various sectors lose billions each year.

Combined, employee theft and shoplifting accounted for 77% of total shrinkage.
These two factors caused $95.01 billion in losses.
Globally, shoplifting was responsible for 38% of the shrinkage rate, causing $46.9 billion in losses.
Retailers tracked 88% of shrinkage caused by shoplifting.
In the Asia Pacific, 51% of the shrinkage was attributed to shoplifting, resulting in a $19.95 billion loss.
In North America, shoplifting contributed to 36% of shrinkage, but caused $13.2 billion in losses.

Region	Shrinkage by Share	Shrinkage by Value ($)
Europe	42%	17.17 billion
North America	36%	13.24 billion
APAC	51%	19.91 billion
Australia	39%	0.95 billion
Latin America	37%	4 billion

Tracking Global Employee Theft

It is just as interesting to discover how employee theft is tracked by employers and retailers. This provides insight into how common employees imagine the problem to be as well as their opinions of this phenomenon.

87% of retailers kept track of global employee theft
81% of European retailers kept track of employee theft.
100% of retailers in America kept track of employee theft.
90% of APAC retailers kept track of employee theft.
90% of employee theft was tracked by Latin American retailers.

Motives for Employee Theft

Of course, what most employers are curious about is why employee theft occurs in the first place. The reasons for workplace theft can be rather varied. The causes range from personal to poor workplace environments.

40% of employees engaged in workplace theft have previously had HR issues.
13% of fraudsters acted out of fear of potential job loss.
Negative performance reviews resulted in a 14% increase of employee theft.
Around 59% of employee theft takes place in industries that are more likely to experience general theft.

Loss Prevention Statistics

Considering the state of employee theft, it makes sense for companies to gear themselves against this type of theft. Industries have taken various preventative methods and techniques to help reduce shrinkage across the board.

Currently, around 2.23% of employees are actively engaged in loss prevention.
69% of organisations are incentivising loss prevention.
Between 1% and 1.49% of sales are contributed to loss prevention methodologies.
50% of RFID technology is used against loss prevention.
Australia engaged in the lowest loss prevention spend, contributing just 0.76% of total sales.
Almost a 100% of Australian businesses reported using CCTV.
79% of Australian businesses use alarm monitoring systems to prevent theft.

It is clear that employee theft has been and continues to be a rather significant issue among Australian businesses. The continuation in workplace theft is resulting in revenue losses of billions of dollars, impacting both employers and employees.

While Australia doesn’t hold the record for the highest amount of employee theft, it does rank rather high. At one point, the region experienced the second highest rate of workplace theft in the world. While the situation has improved, it has been far from eradicated.

Australia does appear to have some ways to go to reduce the issue as well. Despite experiencing a high level of employee theft, businesses have only contributed a small portion of earnings against loss prevention. At the same time, most businesses have made an effort to utilise some tactics such as CCTV.

Sources

[1] Global Theft Barometer

[2] iHR Australia, The Enemy Within: Dealing with Employee Theft

[3] NSW Crime Prevention, An Overview of Retail Crime in Australia

[4] HRM, Workplace Theft is Costing Billions

[5] Small Biz Daily, Theft in the Workplace: What Happens When an Employee Breaks the Law

[6] News.com.au, From Freebies for Mates to $150,000 Fraud, Employee Theft Costs Australian Businesses Billions

[7] JCK, Winning the Battle Against Internal Theft

[8] SHRM, Why is Workplace Theft on the Rise?

[9] University of Cincinatti, A View from the Top: Managers Perspectives on the Problem of Employee Theft in Small Businesses

[10] Sensormatic Global Shrink Index

Credit Card Statistics

by Trevor Moore / updated: July 13, 2021

Report Highlights:

44% of Australians are using less cash than before the pandemic started.
Only 27% of purchases are made with cash.
68% of Australians have at least one card.
63% of purchases are made with a card.
10% of Australians use payment instalment systems.

The cash vs. card debate has been ongoing in Australia for quite a while. And, with Australia aiming to be one of the first completely cashless countries in the world, the discussion has ramped up even further. The increase in popularity of cards, particularly during the pandemic has seemed to edge cash out.

Nevertheless, completely eschewing cash in favour of cards isn’t as easy as anyone – including the Australian government – would have imagined. The statistics and numbers paint a clearer picture of the balance of cash and credit within the country.

Card Usage in Australia

There has been a surge in popularity in card usage within the country. Factors such as the global pandemic and the resulting health concerns have pushed people toward card transactions even more. However, there is more to appreciate in the role that cards play among Australian consumers and their financial position.

68% of Australians have at least one card.
The average credit card balance is $2,868.
The average balance incurring interest is $1,523.
21% of individuals between 18 and 34 were likely to have a second card.
The total expenditure via cards in 2019 was $333,721,838,132.
In total, 2,985,010,219 purchases were made via cards.
The average balance per card in 2019 was $3,264.
By purchase volume, Commonwealth Bank was the largest credit card issuer with USD 51.56 billion.
In 2019, Cards were used for 63% of purchases.
Around 50% of card transactions are made through contactless payments.
Cards are utilised in 52% of online transactions.
Total online sales via cards amount to $17.2 billion.
5% of consumers were struggling with debt.
Credit card debt totalled $45 billion, with $31.7 billion being a result of interest.
Credit card companies charged $1.5 billion overall in fees.
In 2017, card fraud was up 13.9%, totalling $ 3 million.
By 2019, credit card use dropped by 8% over 12 months.
Credit card debt as a result of interest dropped by 10% during the same time period.
45% of millennials have less credit debt than older generations.

Credit Cards vs. Debit Cards

Credit cards and debit cards often get lumped together when usage is considered. Despite this, there are many discrepancies between the cards, including the numbers in which they are issued and how they are used.

There are 13,668,490 credit cards in circulation.
There are 34,868,501 debit cards in circulation.
Debit cards have a higher circulation at 1.9 per capita when compared to credit cards at 0.68 per capita.
Around 66% of people under the age of 40 primarily use debit cards.
About 30% of online transactions are made via debit cards.
In 2019, Debit cards were used for 44% of purchases, while credit cards were used for 19% of transactions.
At POS, 29% of consumers will use debit cards, while 20% of purchases are made with credit cards.
It is predicted that by 2022, 30% of POS purchases will be made with a debit card and 22% with a credit card.
The average charge for credit cards was $103.49.
The average debit card charge was $48.02.

Reasons for Credit Card Use Decline

It is clear from the above sections that credit card use is on the decline, particularly among millennials. This is a departure from previous years and generations. There are several factors that have resulted in this current and future trend regarding credit cards.

90% of millenials avoid credit cards as a matter of choice.
10% are unable to be approved for a credit card.
18% of millennials are concerned with accumulating credit card debt.
22% of the generation want to avoid fees and interest rates associated with credit cards.
21% wish to avoid spending beyond their means.
24% would rather use their own money to make purchases and payments.

Cash Usage in Australia

On the surface, cash use can appear on the decline. Cash isn’t used as much for purchases and fewer people are making physical withdrawals. Despite this, cash continues to be an important and persistent force within the Australian economy.

Around $80 billion in cash is in circulation daily.
75% of this is held as wealth by Australians, with only 25% being used for buying and selling.
In 2018, the average person visited the ATM 28 times a year, which was down from 40 visits per year in 2008.
In 2020, there were27, 870 ATMS in the country, a 5.03% decrease from the previous year.
35% less cash is being withdrawn from ATMs.
However, the quantity of cash in the Australian economy is at a 50-year per capita high.
For every Australian, there are thirty $50 and fourteen $100 notes in existence.
In 2019, just 27% of payments were made via cash.
However in 2018, at Point of Sale, 35% of consumers used cash, making it the most popular payment method.
It is predicted that cash use at POS will drop to 17% by 2022.
Since the pandemic, 44% of Australians state that they are using less cash than before.
Individuals under the age of 40 are least likely to use cash with only 15% of transactions made using cash.
Individuals over 65 use cash for up to 50% of their purchases.
When the bill is $10 or less, 45% of people will use cash.
15% of consumers prefer using cash to help with budgeting purposes.
In 2019, around 25% of people carried no cash in their wallets.
The average person carried about $45 in their wallet.
However, 40% of people stated that they hold onto cash outside their wallets.
Cash payments make up 7% of online sales.
It is estimated that around $50 billion is lost to the black economy each year.

Cards vs. Other Payment Methods

There are a growing number of payment methods in Australia. This includes mobile payments, third party online systems, and contactless payments. It is important to appreciate how the numbers differ when compared to card usage.

4% of purchases were made via online payment systems.
Bank transfers make up 13% of online sales.
22% of online sales are made via digital wallets.
In 2019, around 10% of consumers used contactless mobile payment systems.
Almost 1 in 5 people use contactless mobile payment systems.
75% of Australians claim to continue to use contactless payment methods once the pandemic was over.
It is estimated that e-commerce fraud exists for 0.075% of online transactions.
Banks are charging retailers around $1000 to provide contactless payments.
In 2019, there were 31 million buy now pay later transactions, a 90% increase from the previous year.
It is estimated that about 10% of Australians use instalment payments.
60% of buy now pay later users are between the age of 18 and 34.
57% of buy now pay later customers use the service to budget their spending.
Around 44% of instalment payment users make less than $40,000 a year.
20% of buy now pay later customer missed payments, resulting in missed fee revenue of $43 million.

This is the current status of cash vs. card in Australia. It is clear that cash usage is on the decline, but it will be quite a while before Australians cease to use cash completely. This is because physical currency continues to have significance and benefits beyond digital payment methods.

Card usage is on the rise, with debit cards being the most popular avenue, particularly among younger generations. Credit card usage isn’t as popular as it once was as younger generations have greater fear of debt accumulation.

What is at the forefront of Australian payment methods, though, is buy now pay later systems. An increasing number of people – particularly younger individuals – are utilising it as an alternative to other payment methods. This system makes it easier for cash-strapped individuals to pay off purchases without accruing interest with credit cards.

Sources

[1] Business Insider AU, Cash Was Predicted to be Dead in Australia as Early As 2022, But There Are Plenty of Reasons Why It Will be King for a While Yet

[2] The New Daily, Cash On Its Way Out as Coronavirus Accelerates Shift Towards Digital Payments

[3] JP Morgan, E-Commerce Payment Trends: Australia

[4] Reserve Bank of Australia, Consumer Payment Behaviour in Australia

[5] Finder, Australian Credit Card and Debit Card Statistics 2020

[6] Yahoo Finance AU, Here’s Why Australia Shouldn’t Go Completely Cashless

[7] Financial Review, Will Covid-19 Kill Cash in Australia?

[8] Statista, Leading Credit Card Issuers in Australia in 2015 by Purchase Volume

[9] ABC News AU, Credit Card Users Struggling Under Mountain Of Debt That May Never Be Repaid, ASIC Report Shows

[10] ASIC, 20-280MR ASIC Releases Latest Data on Buy Now Pay Later Industry

[11] The Guardian AU, ‘It’s Like the Wild West’: Is the Latest Buy Now Pay Later Service Just Rebranded Debt?

[12] Savings.com AU, Why Buy Now, Pay Later Is So Popular With Millennials

Welfare Statistics

by Trevor Moore / updated: August 9, 2021

Report Insights:

Australia ranks 7^thout of 80 countries for quality of life.
The country has 16^th highest GDP per person in the world.
Australia scores 7^thout of 40 countries in terms of household wealth.
Australia is the 14^th most expensive country to live in.
81% of Australians have completed secondary school, higher than the OECD average.
The life expectancy in Australia is 83 years old, 3 years greater than the OECD average.
The job employment rate is 73.4%, well above the OECD average.

Australia is considered to boast some of the top standards of living in the world. Continuous economic growth, a good job market, and a general sense of satisfaction ensure that Australians continue enjoying a higher quality of life.

Of course, the standard of living is measured by a number of different factors. To understand how Australia measures up across the board, you have to consider each and every element. This helps to pain a far more comprehensive image.

Australia’s Global Position

It is important to appreciate how Australia ranks on a global scale. This includes comparisons with major developed countries like the UK, US, and countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

In terms of quality of life, Australia ranks 7 out of 80, ahead of Netherlands, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
The GDP per person is USD 57,374 making it the country with the 16^th highest GDP per person.
Australia has the 25^th highest purchasing power globally, with a PPP of 82.3.
Australians rank their life satisfaction as 7.3, well above the OECD average of 6.5.
95% of Australians engage in civic participation, in comparison with 68% of other OECD countries.

Income and Wealth

One of the main ways that the standard of living is calculated in Australia is based on income and general wealth. The average income ensures that people are able to afford basic necessities, automatically improving the manner in which they live.

The average household income in Australia is $32,579 a year.
This is lower than the OECD average of $33, 603 a year.
Nonetheless, the average household net wealth is $427,064, which is higher than the OECD average of $408,376.
In terms of household wealth, Australia ranks 7 out of 40, ahead of Iceland, France, Canada, and Sweden.
70% of Australians consider themselves prosperous or have enough of money to live on comfortably.
Australia has the highest median wealth per adult at USD 191,453.
Australia has the 2^nd highest average wealth per adult at USD 411,060, with only Switzerland ahead.
The number of millionaires is forecast to rise by 41%, the 3^rd highest growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
Just 6% of Australians have a net worth under $10,000 while the UK and US has 18% and 28% respectively.
However, the top 20% of the population make 6 times as much as the bottom 20%.

Cost of Living

It is a well-known fact that the cost of living in Australia is much higher than many other countries. It is less clear how the country compares to other nations, particularly those that are known for their higher cost of living.

Overall, Australia is the 14^th most expensive country to live in with a cost of living index of 106.9.
In comparison, the UK has a cost of living index of 101.3 and the US has one of 100.
However, Australian cities have fallen as much as 26 places in the annual Cost of Living Survey list.
Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia, holding a global spot at 50.
Melbourne is the 2^nd most expensive city, with a global ranking of 79.
Consumer prices in Sydney are 3.48% higher than those in London.
Restaurant prices are 19.07% higher in London than Sydney.
Grocery prices in London are 31.72% lower than in Sydney.
Australia has one of the highest transports costs at $141 a month – Germany comes in 2^nd at $111.
The average single person can have monthly expenses amounting to $2,260.

Housing

As housing is a basic necessity, the availability and cost of housing can have a considerable impact on the overall standard of living. In Australia, housing costs have been on the rise, although wages and income rates haven’t always matched this increment.

On average, Australians spend 20% of their income on housing, which is in line with OECD average.
The average single person can spend $1136 on rent each month.
A family can spend between $1420 and $1832 on rent each month.
Median house prices across the country are $750,721.
This makes the house prices over 8.5 times the cost of the average monthly income.
In the UK, monthly rent can cost around $1331 and in the US this can be $1671.
Hong Kong is far more expensive, with the average monthly rent costing $3210.

Education

Education is a significant indicator of quality of life and standard of living. A highly educated population tends to enjoy higher earnings. Such a population is also able to create a more engaging and logical community.

Australians can spend 21 years in school, which is the highest level in OECD.
81% of Australians have completed upper secondary education which is higher than the 78% OECD average.
The average Australian student scored 502 in reading literacy, sciences, and maths.
This was far higher than the OECD average of 486.

Health, Healthcare, and Safety

General health as well as healthcare accessibility and facilities can tell you a great deal about the standard of living of a particular country. This is typically tied into better quality of life, higher life expectancy, and less stress related to healthcare costs.

Australia has a life expectancy of 83 years, three years higher than the OECD average.
85% of Australians reported to be in good health, compared to the 69% OECD average.
15% of Australians suffer from chronic disease which is lower than an eleven country average of 17.5%.
4% of Australians have been diagnosed with obesity, higher than 21% OECD average.
The lowest obesity rate is in Switzerland at 11.3% and the highest is the US at 40%.
93% of Australians are satisfied with their water quality, which is higher than the 81% OECD average.
Australia has a homicide rate of 1.1 which is lower than the OECD average of 3.7.
US healthcare spending per capita is $10,000 – more than 2 times the Australian expenditure.
Spending on private healthcare in Australia is $597 per capita – greater than the OECD average at $226.
Australia has 11.9 suicides per 100,000 people, slightly lower than the OECD average of 11.5.
UK has the lowest suicide rate at 7.3 deaths per 100,000 people and US has the highest with 13.9 deaths per 100,000.

Job Opportunities

For most people, being employed can determine their overall standard of living. Thus, higher earning potential and lower rates of employment can go a long way towards boosting the general level of satisfaction of the population. Furthermore, the possibility of getting a job, particularly once you have graduated from school is just as important.

The employment rate for individuals between the ages of 15 to 64 years is 74.3%.
This is higher than the average OECD employment rate of 68.8%.
The highest employment rate is Iceland at 83.3% and Turkey has the lowest rate at 50.3%.
3% of Australians have been unemployed for a year or longer, which is lower than the OECD average of 1.8%.
Should they lose their job, 5.4% of Australians can expect earnings loss, which is lower than the OECD average of 7%.
In terms of income, Australia rates 10 out of the 40 OECD countries, with regions like Austria, Norway, and Belgium offering better wages.

Leisure

Once people are able to manage their basic necessities, leisure time and activities has an obvious effect on purported living standards. The more that people are able to enjoy their free time or afford certain activities, the more satisfied they tend to be.

Australians do struggle with work-life balance, with 13% of employees working very long hours.
This is higher than the OECD average of 11%.
Full-time workers are able to dedicate 14 hours a day to personal care and leisure which is lower than the OECD average of 15 hours.
Full-time employees get up to 20 days of paid leave for every year that they work in a given job.
The UK has the most days of annual leave with 28 days each year.
Mexico has one of the lowest paid leave at just 6 days.
Around 10,932,000 Australians depart for tourist travel every year.
China boasts the highest number of travellers at 143,035,000, while Tuvalu has the lowest number at 2100.

There is no denying that Australia does boast a high standard of living, compared across numerous factors. A significant portion of the population is able to complete their higher education and expect good employment once they have graduated. The average Australian is also able to make ends meet quite satisfactorily.

Nevertheless, there are several points that the country can improve on. This begins with closing the wealth gap and ensuring that a greater portion of the population is able to afford their own homes. At the same time, the average Australian should be encouraged to create a far better work-life balance and to take more leisure time for themselves throughout the year.

Sources

[1] OECD Better Life Index, Australia
[2] US News, Australia
[3] AMPLIFY Social Impact, Living Standards
[4] The World Bank, Australia
[5] Financial Review, How Australia’s Cost of Living Compares with Other Countries around the World
[6] The Economist, World in Figures
[7] Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Australia Tops Global Wealth Rankings
[8] Savings AU, How Expensive is Australia to Live?
[9] World Data, Comparison of Worldwide Cost of Living
[10] The New Daily, Australian Cities Slide in Global Cost-of-Living Rankings
[11] Money Smart Gov AU, What Do Australians Really Spend Their Money On?
[12] The Commonwealth Fund, U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2019: Higher Spending, Worse Outcomes?
[13] Statista, Employment Rate in OECD countries in 2019.
[14] World Economic Forum, People in These Countries Get the Most Paid Vacation
[15] Index Mundi, International Tourism, Number of Departures – Country Ranking