australia

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral structure at 348,000 km². Indonesia has the most coral biodiversity. But 50% of the world's coral reefs have died since 1950 — bleaching events driven by ocean warming are accelerating. Here's the full coral reef ranking and the scale of the crisis.

Russia has the most desert and dryland by total area. But Australia has the highest percentage of desert territory at 35%. The Sahara covers 11 countries. Desertification is advancing at 12 million hectares per year — an area the size of England lost annually to spreading desert. Here's the full ranking and the crisis of expanding deserts.

Australia has the world's highest cancer incidence rate — 468 cases per 100,000 people. Denmark leads Europe. The US ranks 5th globally. High-income countries detect more cancer but survive it better. Cancer kills 10 million people annually — the world's second-leading cause of death.

Finland and Sweden have the highest sports participation rates — over 70% of adults play sport regularly. Australia has the most sports organisations per capita. The US has the most professional sports leagues. Here's the full ranking of the world's most sports-active nations.