Australia: Subsidies and other transfers (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Australia's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) fell 10.1% on 2021 (from 497.45 billion to 447.35 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +7.3% and a typical year strayed about 5.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3,015.7% in 1990 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.1% in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 23.45 billion a year. A straight line explains 83% 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.

Closest to Australia in the 2022 ranking

• Lao PDR — 2nd of 8: 2.63 trillion
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3rd of 8: 1.89 trillion
• Serbia — 4th of 8: 1.58 trillion
• Equatorial Guinea — 6th of 8: 144.57 billion
• Ecuador — 7th of 8: 12.95 billion
• Timor-Leste — 8th of 8: 237.04 million

What this measures

Subsidies are current unrequited payments that government units, including nonresident government units, make to enterprises on the basis of the levels of their production activities or the quantities or values of the goods or services that they produce, sell, export or import. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 49 values

Subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — 8.4 trillion (2023)
• Fiji — 1.41 billion (2024)
• Kiribati — 130.48 million (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 484.57 trillion (2024)
• Lao PDR — 2.63 trillion (2022)
• Macao SAR, China — 27.62 billion (2024)
• Malaysia — 135.38 billion (2024)
• Marshall Islands — 24.54 million (2020)
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 6.75 million (2020)
• Mongolia

More public sector data for Australia

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 826 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 35.33 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 54.81 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.92% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 108 million (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 19.74 billion (2022)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 0.84% (2022)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -31.49 billion (2022)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -1.35% (2022)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Australia's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU)?

447.35 billion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is up 144,674% from 309 million in 1974 (16.37% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 497.45 billion in 2021 and the lowest 309 million in 1974.

Is the latest change in subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) unusual for Australia?

In 2022, Australia's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) fell 10.1% on 2021 (from 497.45 billion to 447.35 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +7.3% and a typical year strayed about 5.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TRFT.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance 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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