The ABS are making changes to the International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia publication and the international trade work program. For more information on the changes and to provide feedback, see paper released on 5 October titled, Enhancing the quality of Australia's international trade statistics.
International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia
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Statistics about international trade in goods and services, on a balance of payments and international trade basis
Reference period
August 2021
Released
5/10/2021
Key statistics
- The seasonally adjusted balance on goods and services surplus increased $2,427m to $15,077m in August
- Goods and services credits (exports) rose $1,923m (4%) to $48,524m
- Goods and services debits (imports) fell $506m (1%) to $33,446m
Main features
| Jun-21 ($m) | Jul-21 ($m) | Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance on goods and services | 11,680 | 12,650 | 15,077 | 2,427 | na | |
| Credits (Exports of goods & services) | 44,437 | 46,601 | 48,524 | 1,923 | 4 | |
| Debits (Imports of goods & services) | -32,757 | -33,952 | -33,446 | -506 | -1 | |
na not applicable
COVID-19
Balance on goods and services
In seasonally adjusted terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $15,077m in August 2021, an increase of $2,427m on the surplus in July 2021.
| Jun-21 ($m) | Jul-21 ($m) | Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance on goods and services | 11,680 | 12,650 | 15,077 | 2,427 | na | ||
| Total goods and services credits | 44,437 | 46,601 | 48,524 | 1,923 | 4 | ||
| Total goods credits | 39,114 | 41,700 | 43,749 | 2,049 | 5 | ||
| Total services credits | 5,323 | 4,901 | 4,774 | - 127 | - 3 | ||
| Total goods and services debits | - 32,757 | - 33,952 | - 33,446 | - 506 | - 1 | ||
| Total goods debits | - 28,406 | - 29,613 | - 29,057 | - 556 | - 2 | ||
| Total services debits | - 4,351 | - 4,338 | - 4,389 | 51 | 1 | ||
na not applicable
(a) For sign conventions, see the Explanatory notes.
Goods and services credits (exports), seasonally adjusted
Goods credits
(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019.
| Jun-21 ($m) | Jul-21 ($m) | Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total goods credits | 39,114 | 41,700 | 43,749 | 2,049 | 5 | |||
| General merchandise | 36,938 | 39,579 | 41,281 | 1,702 | 4 | |||
| Rural goods | 4,510 | 4,871 | 5,422 | 551 | 11 | |||
| Non-rural goods | 32,427 | 34,709 | 35,859 | 1,150 | 3 | |||
| Net exports of goods under merchanting(a) | 37 | 37 | 34 | - 3 | - 8 | |||
| Non-monetary gold(a) | 2,139 | 2,084 | 2,434 | 350 | 17 | |||
(a) This component is not seasonally adjusted.
Rural goods
Non-rural goods
Services credits
(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019
| Jun-21 ($m) | Jul-21 ($m) | Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total services credits | 5,323 | 4,901 | 4,774 | - 127 | - 3 | ||
| Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others(a) | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | ||
| Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.(a) | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | ||
| Transport | 335 | 327 | 323 | - 4 | - 1 | ||
| Passenger(b)(c) | 14 | 7 | 2 | - 5 | - 71 | ||
| Freight(d) | 25 | 27 | 27 | - | - | ||
| Other | 158 | 152 | 152 | - | - | ||
| Postal and courier services(e) | 138 | 141 | 141 | - | - | ||
| Travel(c) | 2,312 | 1,876 | 1,726 | - 150 | - 8 | ||
| Other services | 2,673 | 2,694 | 2,721 | 27 | 1 | ||
| Memorandum item | |||||||
| Tourism related services credits(f) | 2,326 | 1,883 | 1,729 | - 154 | - 8 | ||
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) This component is not seasonally adjusted.
(b) Passenger transportation services includes agency fees and commissions for air transport.
(c) This component has been seasonally adjusted using the forward factor method since March 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19.
(d) In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
(e) Postal and courier services includes indirect commissions for sea transport.
(f) For a more detailed explanation of tourism related services, see the Explanatory notes
Goods and services debits (imports), seasonally adjusted
Goods debits
(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019
| Jun-21 ($m) | Jul-21 ($m) | Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total goods debits | - 28,406 | - 29,613 | - 29,057 | - 556 | - 2 | ||
| General merchandise debits | - 27,843 | - 29,176 | - 28,466 | - 710 | - 2 | ||
| Consumption goods | - 9,675 | - 9,392 | - 9,798 | 406 | 4 | ||
| Capital goods | - 7,057 | - 7,042 | - 6,759 | - 283 | - 4 | ||
| Intermediate and other merchandise goods | - 11,111 | - 12,742 | - 11,909 | - 833 | - 7 | ||
| Non-monetary gold(b) | - 563 | - 437 | - 591 | 154 | 35 | ||
(a) For sign conventions, see the Explanatory notes.
(b) This component is not seasonally adjusted.
Consumption goods
Capital goods
Intermediate and other merchandise goods
Services debits
(a) Trend series suspended from March 2019
| Jun-21 ($m) | Jul-21 ($m) | Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 ($m) | Jul-21 to Aug-21 (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total services debits | - 4,351 | - 4,338 | - 4,389 | 51 | 1 | ||
| Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others(b) | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.(b) | - 45 | - 54 | - 41 | - 13 | - 24 | ||
| Transport | - 1,398 | - 1,450 | - 1,496 | 46 | 3 | ||
| Passenger(c)(d) | - 81 | - 67 | - 62 | - 5 | - 7 | ||
| Freight | - 1,277 | - 1,348 | - 1,399 | 51 | 4 | ||
| Other(b) | - 21 | - 16 | - 16 | - | - | ||
| Postal and courier services(e)(f) | - 18 | - 19 | - 19 | - | - | ||
| Travel(d) | - 65 | - 69 | - 78 | 9 | 13 | ||
| Other services | - 2,842 | - 2,766 | - 2,774 | 8 | - | ||
| Memorandum item | |||||||
| Tourism related services debits(g) | - 146 | - 136 | - 140 | 4 | 3 | ||
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) For sign conventions, see the Explanatory Notes.
(b) This component is not seasonally adjusted.
(c) Passenger services includes agency fees and commissions for air transport.
(d) This component has been seasonally adjusted using the forward factor method since March 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19.
(e) Postal and courier services includes indirect commissions for sea transport.
(f) In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
(g) For a more detailed explanation of tourism related services, see the Explanatory notes.
Supplementary information
Selected commodities
Value adjustments
Revisions
Previous catalogue number
This release previously used catalogue number 5368.0.
Changes in this issue
This issue incorporates Historical Revisions, including changes to the way travel debits are compiled. Please see article "Australian System of National Accounts historical revisions" for more details.
From the August 2021 release of this publication, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country grouping has been updated to reflect the current membership. This change will be reflected across the entire time-series back to January 1988.
In line with ongoing improvement processes, seasonal adjustment of the Metal ores and minerals, Coal, coke & briquettes and Other mineral fuels components of goods credits for the period July 2005 to June 2019 has reverted to adjustment using seasonal factors based on the current price series. Prior to the August 2021 publication, for the span indicated, these series were seasonally adjusted using seasonal factors derived from a monthly volume series.
Data downloads
Time series spreadsheets
Data files
Table 1. Goods and services, summary - seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices
Table 2. Goods and services, summary - original, current prices
Table 3. Goods credits, original, current prices
Table 4. Goods debits, original, current prices
Table 5. Goods credits, seasonally adjusted, current prices
Table 6. Goods debits, seasonally adjusted, current prices
Table 7. Goods credits, trend estimates, current prices
Table 8. Goods debits, trend estimates, current prices
Table 9. Services, summary - original, current prices
Table 10. Services, summary - seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices
Table 11a. Services credits, original, current prices - quarterly
Table 11b. Services debits, original, current prices - quarterly
Table 12a. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), FOB value
Table 12b. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), FOB value
Table 13a. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), customs value
Table 13b. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), customs value
Table 14a. Merchandise exports, country and country groups, FOB value
Table 14b. Merchandise imports, country and country groups, customs value
Table 15a. Merchandise exports, state and Australia, FOB value
Table 15b. Merchandise imports, state and Australia, customs value
Table 16. Period average exchange rates, units of foreign currency per Australian dollar
Table 17. Summary of revisions, goods and services
Table 31. Merchandise exports, broad economic category, FOB value
Table 32a. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), FOB value
Table 32b. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), FOB value
Table 33. Merchandise imports, broad economic category, customs value
Table 34. Merchandise imports, balance of payments broad economic category, customs value
Table 35a. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), customs value
Table 35b. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), customs value
Table 36a. Merchandise exports, state of origin New South Wales, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36b. Merchandise exports, state of origin Victoria, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36c. Merchandise exports, state of origin Queensland, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36d. Merchandise exports, state of origin South Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36e. Merchandise exports, state of origin Western Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36f. Merchandise exports, state of origin Tasmania, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36g. Merchandise exports, state of origin Northern Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36h. Merchandise exports, state of origin Australian Capital Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36i. Merchandise exports, state of origin not available, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 36j. Merchandise exports, re-exports, by country and country groups, FOB value
Table 37a. Merchandise imports, state of destination New South Wales, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37b. Merchandise imports, state of destination Victoria, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37c. Merchandise imports, state of destination Queensland, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37d. Merchandise imports, state of destination South Australia, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37e. Merchandise imports, state of destination Western Australia, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37f. Merchandise imports, state of destination Tasmania, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37g. Merchandise imports, state of destination Northern Territory, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37h. Merchandise imports, state of destination Australian Capital Territory, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 37i. Merchandise imports, state of destination not available, by country and country groups, customs value
Table 91. Monthly combined seasonal adjustment factors
Data Cubes
Data files
Table 18. Balance of payments broad economic categories (detailed level), by country, latest 7 months, customs value, ($million)
Table 19. Balance of payments broad economic categories (1 and 2 digit), by country, latest 7 months, customs value, ($million)