Australia: Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Australia's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) rose 14.5% on 2024 (from US$10.82 billion to US$12.4 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.9% and a typical year strayed about 11.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 30.5% in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.7% in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$886.37 million a year. A straight line explains 93% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Australia had the 17th highest value of the 117 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Australia in the 2025 ranking

• Luxembourg — 13th of 117: US$18.23 billion
• France — 14th of 117: US$17.67 billion
• Korea, Rep. — 15th of 117: US$14.14 billion
• Brazil — 17th of 117: US$12.33 billion
• Spain — 18th of 117: US$8.91 billion
• Italy — 19th of 117: US$8.5 billion

What this measures

Charges for the use of proprietary rights (such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial processes and designs including trade secrets, franchises), and charges for licenses to reproduce or distribute (or both) intellectual property embodied in produced originals or prototypes (such as copyrights on books and manuscripts, computer software, cinematographic works, and sound recordings) and related rights (such as for live performances and television, cable, or satellite broadcast). This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 37 values

Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — US$22.15 million (2025)
• Cambodia — US$129.27 million (2025)
• China — US$46.63 billion (2025)
• Fiji — US$1.66 million (2024)
• French Polynesia — US$3.33 million (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$1.65 billion (2024)
• Indonesia — US$2.49 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$34.78 billion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Australia

• Portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$18.94 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$72.63 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$62.12 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$416.34 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 643.28 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$418.83 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 622.17 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 23.15% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Australia's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)?

US$12.4 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is up 1,434% from US$808.16 million in 1989 (7.88% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$12.4 billion in 2025 and the lowest US$798.61 million in 1993.

How does Australia rank?

17th highest of 117 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Australia?

In 2025, Australia's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) rose 14.5% on 2024 (from US$10.82 billion to US$12.4 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.9% and a typical year strayed about 11.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.ROYL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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