Comparisons of economic performance: Canada versus Australia, 1983-2000.

CANADA; AUSTRALIA

This article presents a comparison of the economic performance between Canada and Australia from 1983 to 2000. Summary statistics on the two countries indicate that for 2000, GDP per capita expressed in terms of purchasing-power parity was $28,900 for Canada, compared with $27,300 for Australia. The gap between the two countries in terms of the productivity performance and the growth of standards of living is primarily attributable to differences in the labor market. The difference in the labor productivity growth in favor of Australia during the post-1995 period is mostly due to the growth of capital deepening and, to a lesser extent, multifactor productivity growth.