India's view of the world · A factual referenceLast updated 12 May 2026 · Edition 04
COUNTRY RELATIONSHIP · AUSTRALIA
India & Australia
COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERQUAD MEMBERECTA IN FORCECRITICAL MINERALS
India and Australia's relationship, rooted in shared Westminster-style democracy, Commonwealth ties and cricket, was upgraded from a 2009 Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in June 2020. An Annual Summit mechanism (established 2022) and dense ministerial engagement - especially post the 2022 election of PM Albanese - have driven what MEA describes as 'transformational growth,' spanning trade, defence, critical minerals, education and the Quad.
COOPERATION AREAS
Where India and Australia actually work together
8 active areas of cooperation, as of 9 October 2023. Click any card for the full brief.
TRADE & INVESTMENT
By the numbers
Calendar year 2022 figures as cited in MEA bilateral brief (9 October 2023). India is Australia's 6th-largest trading partner; trade grew 41% year-on-year.
$31.4bn
Total bilateral trade in goods
$8.7bn
India exports to country
$22.5bn
India imports from country
Trade trajectory · USD bn
$31.4bnin 2022 · click a bar to compare years
TOP TRADED ITEMS
AGREEMENTS & MILESTONES
The relationship since 1941, in 11 dates
CURRENT STATE
Where things stand, October 2023
The relationship is in a period of rapid institutionalisation following the 2020 CSP upgrade - trade grew 41% in a single year after the ECTA took effect, and defence cooperation has expanded from occasional exercises to a dense annual calendar including submarine deployments. The Quad remains the central multilateral anchor, while critical minerals and green hydrogen have emerged as the newest growth frontiers reflecting both countries' shared interest in diversifying supply chains away from China. Education and migration ties continue to deepen, with Indian students forming Australia's second-largest international cohort and new mobility pathways opening under the MMPA.
SIGNALS TO WATCH
On track / positive momentum
In progress / worth watching
Stalled or facing headwinds
Not yet started / unclear
IN CONTEXT
How India and Australia cross paths multilaterally
