Australia is a trading nation, with exports
and imports of goods and services making
up 42 per cent of our gross domestic
product in 2018–19. With 14 free trade
agreements in place, approximately
70 per cent of Australian trade enjoys
liberalised access to overseas markets.
Twelve of our 15 largest markets are in
Asia and Oceania, generating a trade value
of around A$577 billion in 2018–19. Trade
in services has grown at 6.3 per cent per
year for the past two decades, helping to
steadily broaden our export mix beyond
resources and agriculture.
Growing 8.5 per cent per year since 2011,
foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows help
power our capital-intensive industries.
In 2019, the mining sector accounted for
35.3 per cent of the total stock of
overseas investment in Australia, worth
A$360 billion. This FDI directly contributes
to Australia’s minerals and energy exports,
which reached around A$280 billion in
2018–19. Australia’s thriving manufacturing
sector attracted A$131 billion of overseas
investment in 2018–19.
Charts from the Benchmark Report
The Australia Benchmark Report provides rich data demonstrating why there is no better place than Australia to do business. The report examines five key reasons for investing in Australia – robust economy, dynamic industries, innovation & skills, global ties and strong foundations – and compares Australia’s credentials with other countries.
Charts can be downloaded and saved as images for use in reports and presentations (when using please reference www.austrade.gov.au)