Australia's taxes on international trade (current LCU) was 16.95 billion in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 138.09% from 7.12 billion in 2012 (9.06% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 16.95 billion | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 14.21 billion | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 7.12 billion | 2012 |
| Highest | 19.51 billion | 2020 |
| Lowest | 470 million | 1972 |
| Average since 2013 | 14.28 billion | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 470 million |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Australia's taxes on international trade (current LCU) fell 6.5% on 2021 (from 18.12 billion to 16.95 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +6.2% and a typical year strayed about 10.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 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 43.3% in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 16% in 1991. 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 1.16 billion a year. A straight line explains 87% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 23.33 billion for 2025. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2020 to 2022 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.78 billion, against 2.25 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
Closest to Australia in the 2022 ranking
- India — 3rd of 8: 1.35 trillion
- Serbia — 4th of 8: 79.02 billion
- Equatorial Guinea — 5th of 8: 25.61 billion
- Ecuador — 7th of 8: 2.3 billion
- Timor-Leste — 8th of 8: 24.25 million
What this measures
Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. 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 51 values
| Year | Taxes on international trade (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 16,945,000,000 |
| 2021 | 18,123,000,000 |
| 2020 | 19,507,000,000 |
| 2019 | 15,944,000,000 |
| 2018 | 15,690,000,000 |
| 2017 | 14,208,000,000 |
| 2016 | 14,057,000,000 |
| 2015 | 10,896,000,000 |
| 2014 | 9,290,000,000 |
| 2013 | 8,181,000,000 |
Taxes on international trade (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Cambodia — 2.52 trillion (2023)
- China — 250.94 billion (2024)
- Fiji — 495.11 million (2024)
- Kiribati — 1.79 million (2023)
- Korea, Rep. — 7.02 trillion (2024)
- Lao PDR — 2.59 trillion (2022)
- Malaysia — 5.17 billion (2024)
- Marshall Islands — 9.27 million (2020)
- Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 6.2 million (2020)
- Mongolia — 1.79 trillion (2024)
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
Questions people ask
- What is Australia's taxes on international trade (current LCU)?
- 16.95 billion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1972?
- It is up 3,505% from 470 million in 1972 (7.43% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 19.51 billion in 2020 and the lowest 470 million in 1972.
- Is the latest change in taxes on international trade (current LCU) unusual for Australia?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.INTT.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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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