Australia is an open market with minimal restrictions on imports of goods and services. The process of opening up has increased productivity, stimulated growth, and made the economy more flexible and dynamic. Australia plays an active role in the WTO, APEC, the G20, and other trade forums. Australia’s free trade agreement (FTA) with China entered into force in 2015, adding to existing FTAs with the Republic of Korea, Japan, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and the US, and a regional FTA with ASEAN and New Zealand. Australia continues to negotiate bilateral agreements with Indonesia, as well as larger agreements with its Pacific neighbors and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and an Asia-wide Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that includes the 10 ASEAN countries and China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and India.
Australia is a significant exporter of natural resources, energy, and food. Australia's abundant and diverse natural resources attract high levels of foreign investment and include extensive reserves of coal, iron, copper, gold, natural gas, uranium, and renewable energy sources. A series of major investments, such as the US$40 billion Gorgon Liquid Natural Gas Project, will significantly expand the resources sector.
For nearly two decades up till 2017, Australia had benefited from a dramatic surge in its terms of trade. As export prices increased faster than import prices, the economy experienced continuous growth, low unemployment, contained inflation, very low public debt, and a strong and stable financial system. Australia entered 2018 facing a range of growth constraints, principally driven by the sharp fall in global prices of key export commodities. Demand for resources and energy from Asia and especially China is growing at a slower pace and sharp drops in export prices have impacted growth.
Agriculture: 3.6%
Industry: 21.1%
Services: 75.3% (2009 est.)
2017: 5.6%
2016: 5.7%
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 25.4% (1994)
2008: 30.3
1994: 35.2
Revenues: 490 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 496.9 billion (2017 est.)
2017: 40.8% of GDP
2016: 40.6% of GDP
28 February 2013: 3%
31 December 2010: 4.35%
31 December 2017: 5.24%
31 December 2016: 5.42%
31 December 2017: $277.7 billion
31 December 2016: $243.6 billion
31 December 2017: $277.7 billion
31 December 2016: $243.6 billion
31 December 2017: $2.384 trillion
31 December 2016: $2.097 trillion
31 December 2015: $1.187 trillion
31 December 2014: $1.289 trillion
31 December 2013: $1.366 trillion
31 December 2017: $66.58 billion
31 December 2016: $55.07 billion
31 December 2017: $1.714 trillion
31 December 2016: $1.547 trillion
31 December 2017: $700.6 billion
31 December 2016: $617.7 billion
31 December 2017: $509.7 billion
31 December 2016: $441.4 billion
Currency: Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
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