Relationship dossier
Australia
India
Relationship assessment
A sustained strategic partnership spanning defence, trade and energy, without a formal alliance
Australia toward India
+50Australia has expanded security and defence cooperation with India, including through the 2020 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a reciprocal logistics support agreement. It also concluded a bilateral economic cooperation and trade agreement with India, which entered into force in 2022, and enabled uranium exports under a bilateral civil nuclear agreement.
India toward Australia
+50India has developed security and defence cooperation with Australia through the 2020 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and reciprocal logistics support agreement. India also concluded the bilateral economic cooperation and trade agreement, which entered into force in 2022, and its civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Australia enabled Australian uranium exports.
Overall relationship
+50The relationship is characterized by a durable strategic partnership with concrete cooperation in defence, trade and civil nuclear energy. These arrangements support substantial cooperation, but the countries are not formal treaty allies, and the partnership does not amount to a unified security policy.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Australia and India have built a sustained strategic partnership, including a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, regular defence engagement and a bilateral trade agreement. Cooperation spans security, economic ties and energy, while remaining short of a formal alliance. The relationship has broadened substantially over time, though the depth and implementation of individual arrangements vary.
Key developments
Australia and India elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The countries signed a reciprocal logistics support agreement to facilitate mutual access to military facilities.
The Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement entered into force.
The bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement enabled Australian uranium exports to India.
Major uncertainties
- The practical scope and frequency of defence cooperation under bilateral arrangements are unclear.
- The longer-term effects of the trade agreement on bilateral trade and investment are uncertain.