Australia is the second most resilient economy in the Asia-Pacific region, despite its low productivity and climate risks, according to FM.

Only Singapore ranks higher in the latest FM Resilience Index. Australia has a score of 89.4 out of 100 – up from 86.2 in 2022 – and places 13th in the global ranking.

Australia’s strengths include a perfect score in education, robust cybersecurity systems and high-quality building standards that improve resistance to wind and flood.  

However, FM notes there is much to be done to address climate vulnerabilities, as Australia ranks 103rd on macro-climate risk exposure.

Productivity is Australia’s weakest indicator, scoring only 44.9. Energy intensity, which measures energy consumption relative to productivity, is low, placing the country outside the top 100.

FM says there are “compelling opportunities” for Australia in the growing data centre industry, with its strong availability of the fresh water needed to cool the sites.  

“For Australian businesses, understanding where we stand globally, both our strengths and our areas for development, is critical for future-proofing operations,” FM Australia and New Zealand operations manager Andrew Stafford said.  

New Zealand ranks 23rd on the index, down four places from 2022 with an overall score of 84.7. Denmark tops the list with a perfect 100.

See the full index here.