Economic Indicators

Balance of Payments

Measuring economic transactions between Australia and the rest of the world.

Balance of Payments measures economic and financial transactions coming in to and going out of Australia. This note focuses in particular on the current account, which is a combination of the trade balance and the income that Australian residents earn from overseas, less what they paid out to the rest of the world.

  • 28 Feb 2023 Balance of Payments Q4 2022

    Australia’s seasonally adjusted current account balance rose by A$13,361m to +A$14,114m in Q4 2022, from the upwardly revised +A$753m in the previous quarter (originally -A$2,278m). The market consensus was for a much lower surplus, of A$5,800m. The rebound in the current account surplus in Q4 was driven by both a higher trade surplus and a narrower net primary income deficit.

  • 06 Dec 2022 Balance of Payments - Q3 2022

    Australia’s seasonally adjusted current account balance unexpectedly turned negative in Q3 2022, registering a deficit of A$2,278m against a surplus of A$14,745m in Q2 2022. The decline in the current account balance was driven by a A$11,088m drop in the trade surplus, coupled with a A$6,368m deterioration in the net primary income deficit.

  • 06 Sep 2022 Balance of Payments - Q2 2022

    Australia’s seasonally adjusted current account surplus rose to A$18,324m in Q2 2022, from the downwardly revised A$2,774m in the previous quarter.

  • 31 May 2022 Balance of Payments - Q1 2022

    Australia’s seasonally adjusted current account surplus narrowed to A$7,532m in Q1 2022, from the upwardly revised A$13,235m in the previous quarter.

  • 01 Mar 2022 Balance of Payments - Q4 2021

    Australia’s seasonally adjusted current account surplus narrowed to A$12,677m in Q4 2021, from the downwardly revised A$21,981m in the previous quarter. The decline in the current account surplus was driven by a lower trade surplus and, to a lesser extent, further deterioration in net primary balance.

  • 30 Nov 2021 Balance of Payments - Q3 2021

    Australia’s seasonally adjusted current account surplus widened to yet another record high of A$23.9b in Q3 2021. The rise in the current account surplus was driven by a surge in the trade surplus amid higher energy commodity prices.

  • 31 Aug 2021 Balance of Payments - Q2 2021

    Australia’s seasonally adjusted current account surplus widened to another record high of A$20.5b in Q2 2021. The widening of the trade surplus reflected an increase in the value of exports of goods, primarily metal ores and minerals.

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