Characteristics of Australian Exporters

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This publication provides an analysis of the number and characteristics of Australia's merchandise trade exporters

Reference period
2017-18 financial year
Released
21/08/2019

Main features

Key statistics

In 2017-18, the total value of Australian merchandise exports reached a record of high of $314 billion, $24 billion (8%) higher than in 2016-17.

The number of exporters increased more moderately (2%) to 53,015. This continues the upward trend seen in the number of exporters from 2013-14 onwards.

Most exporters are small businesses (59%) and contribute only 1% of the exports value. 90% of exporters had combined transactions valued at less than $1 million and 74% had 10 or less export transactions for the year.

In contrast, on a value basis the Australian export sector is dominated by a small number of businesses. 296 businesses exported merchandise worth $100m or more and together they accounted for 85% of the total export value ($266 billion). While just 1% of exporters are from the Mining Industry and they contribute over half (57%) of the total export value.

​​​​​​​Business size

The majority of Australian merchandise exporters are small businesses (59%), and contribute only 1% of the total export value. While only 13% of merchandise exporters are large businesses, they accounted for 96% of the value.

Table 1 Number of merchandise exporters and value of exports, by size of business

 No. of Merchandise ExportersValue of Merchandise Exports
Business Size (a)No.%Value ($m)%
Large6 76313300 99096
Medium15 0752810 7713
Small31 177592 7181
Total53 015100314 478100

a. Refer to Business size criteria in the Methodology of the publication.
 

Industry of exporter

While the Mining industry made up only 1% of the number of exporters, they continue to account for over half (57%) of the exports value. The second most dominant industry was Manufacturing, contributing 24% of the exports value.

The Mining industry also accounted for most ($19b) of the increase in value of exports from 2016-17, up $24b overall. This increase was influenced by continued demand for Australia’s bulk commodities, such as coal and iron ore, and the expansion of multiple liquefied natural gas projects.

Despite the increase in value, the number of Mining exporters remained steady. This led to the average exports value per Mining exporter increasing from $346m to $387m.

By count, Wholesale trade was the largest industry making up 26% (13,858) of all merchandise exporters.

Table 2 Industry of exporter, by value and number of merchandise exporters

 No. of Merchandise ExportersValue of Merchandise Exports
Industry of ExporterNo.%Value ($m)%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing1 01523 8871
Mining4651180 04657
Manufacturing9 1821775 44724
Construction1 62236060
Wholesale Trade13 8582640 60813
Retail Trade4 78692 7711
Transport, postal and warehousing1 42933 0611
Other9 878195 9022
Unavailable10 780202 1511
Total53 015100314 478100

Transactions and value ranges

The Australian merchandise export sector continues to be dominated by a small number of businesses.

296 businesses exported merchandise worth $100m or more and together they accounted for 85% of the total export value ($266b).

91% of the total export value was attributed to businesses who undertook 51 or more export transactions in the 2017-18 year. However, these businesses accounted for just 10% of all exporters.

Table 3 Number of export transactions, by number of merchandise exporters and value of exports

 No. of Merchandise ExportersValue of Merchandise Exports
Number of Export TransactionsNo.%Value ($m)%
Fewer than 325 924499680
3 to 1013 399254 9142
11 to 204 19587 0572
21 to 503 980813 9404
51 or more5 51710287 60091
Total53 015100314 478100

State of origin of commodity

In line with the overall increase in value in 2017-18, exports of merchandise from all States of origin increased from the previous year. Of the total value increase, $17b (72%) originated from exports of commodities from Western Australia and Queensland, the states with the largest Mining export values.

Western Australia and Queensland also continued to be the most dominant States of origin for exported merchandise overall, when combined accounting for 65% of the total value.

Table 4 Value of merchandise exports, by state of origin of commodity

 Value of Merchandise Exports
State of Origin of CommodityValue ($m)%
NSW47 59715
Vic.26 8239
Qld74 26224
SA12 0444
WA129 69841
Tas.3 6751
NT5 7212
Total (a)314 478100

a. 'Total' includes ACT and re-exports. Exports data with confidentiality restrictions 'No Commodity details' or 'No value details' are excluded from individual state totals and included in 'Total'.
 

​​​​​​​Main state of business location

In 2017-18, the most common main state of exporter location was New South Wales (14,754 exporters), followed by Victoria (13,274). Together, over half (53%) of Australian merchandise exporters are located in New South Wales and Victoria.

For most industries, New South Wales is the state where the highest number of merchandise exporters are located. The Mining industry is an exception, with Mining exporters most commonly located in Western Australia (42%) and Queensland (22%).

Country of final destination

In 2017-18, China continued to be Australia's largest export destination, with $106 billion worth of exports (34%). This was $11 billion more than in 2016-17 (up 11%).

By merchandise exporter count, New Zealand was the most dominant contributor, with 35% (18,774) of all exporters, exporting at least once to New Zealand in 2017-18.

Overall, the average export value per exporter was $5.9m. However the average differed considerably across destination countries. The countries with the largest average export value per exporter were Japan ($13.7m) and China ($13.6m).

Data downloads

Table 1 Number of merchandise exporters and value of merchandise exports, by value range of exports and number of export transactions

Table 2 Value of merchandise exporters, by industry of exporter and industry of origin of exported commodity

Table 3 Number of merchandise exporters and value of merchandise exports, by industry of exporter and business size

Table 4 Value of merchandise exports, by industry of exporter and state of origin of exported commodity

Table 5 Number of merchandise exporters, by industry of exporter, by main state of location and exporter

Table 6 Merchandise exporters, by country of destination

Changes in this issue

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Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 5368.0.55.006.
 

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