Australia: Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Australia's merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) fell 9.8% on 2022 (from US$401.69 billion to US$362.3 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +8.9% and a typical year strayed about 14.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 45.9% in 1973 and the biggest yearly fall was 21.8% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$21.43 billion a year. A straight line explains 76% 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 2023, Australia had the 21st highest value of the 205 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 2023 ranking

• Switzerland — 17th of 205: US$420.01 billion
• Spain — 18th of 205: US$407.89 billion
• Poland — 19th of 205: US$379.47 billion
• Viet Nam — 21st of 205: US$345.09 billion
• Brazil — 22nd of 205: US$339.27 billion
• Saudi Arabia — 23rd of 205: US$322.17 billion

What this measures

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise exports by the reporting economy to the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current US$.

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

All 64 values

Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — US$17.41 million (2023)
• Brunei Darussalam — US$10.53 billion (2023)
• Cambodia — US$22.04 billion (2023)
• China — US$3.42 trillion (2023)
• Fiji — US$732.24 million (2023)
• French Polynesia — US$2.26 million (2023)
• Guam — US$219.73 million (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — US$575.97 billion (2023)
• Indonesia

More private sector & trade data for Australia

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 36.04% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$310.63 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$337.58 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 1.12% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 54.02% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 6.02% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 39.96% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Australia's merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$)?

US$362.3 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 19,288% from US$1.87 billion in 1960 (8.72% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$401.69 billion in 2022 and the lowest US$1.87 billion in 1960.

How does Australia rank?

21st highest of 205 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) unusual for Australia?

In 2023, Australia's merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) fell 9.8% on 2022 (from US$401.69 billion to US$362.3 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +8.9% and a typical year strayed about 14.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TX.VAL.MRCH.WL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); Direction of Trade database, 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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