Economic Outlook No 117 — Balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia
Australia: Economic Outlook No 117 — Balance of primary income as a percent of was -3.01 in 2026. ▼ Falling
Economic Outlook No 117 — Balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia, 1960–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Analysis
In 2026, economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia stood at -3.01.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia peaked at -0.9777 in 1974 and was at its lowest, -4.55, in 2022.
That places Australia 27th out of 36 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 67 years of available data.
Economic Outlook No 117 — Balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -1.43 | — |
| 1961 | -1.43 | -0.1% |
| 1962 | -1.31 | -8.4% |
| 1963 | -1.46 | +11.6% |
| 1964 | -1.25 | -14.2% |
| 1965 | -1.3 | +3.4% |
| 1966 | -1.18 | -8.6% |
| 1967 | -1.43 | +20.8% |
| 1968 | -1.6 | +12.0% |
| 1969 | -1.51 | -5.8% |
| 1970 | -1.58 | +4.7% |
| 1971 | -1.44 | -9.1% |
| 1972 | -1.21 | -15.8% |
| 1973 | -1.24 | +2.3% |
| 1974 | -0.9777 | -21.0% |
| 1975 | -1.24 | +26.4% |
| 1976 | -1.46 | +18.4% |
| 1977 | -1.44 | -1.7% |
| 1978 | -1.48 | +3.0% |
| 1979 | -1.69 | +14.1% |
| 1980 | -1.61 | -5.0% |
| 1981 | -1.47 | -8.2% |
| 1982 | -1.3 | -11.9% |
| 1983 | -1.73 | +33.2% |
| 1984 | -2.04 | +18.2% |
| 1985 | -2.52 | +23.5% |
| 1986 | -2.62 | +3.7% |
| 1987 | -2.63 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | -2.99 | +13.7% |
| 1989 | -3.71 | +24.0% |
| 1990 | -4.07 | +9.8% |
| 1991 | -3.76 | -7.8% |
| 1992 | -3.19 | -15.1% |
| 1993 | -2.7 | -15.2% |
| 1994 | -3.24 | +19.9% |
| 1995 | -3.63 | +12.1% |
| 1996 | -3.4 | -6.2% |
| 1997 | -3.28 | -3.7% |
| 1998 | -3.04 | -7.2% |
| 1999 | -2.94 | -3.3% |
| 2000 | -2.83 | -4.0% |
| 2001 | -2.78 | -1.8% |
| 2002 | -2.75 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | -2.82 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | -3.36 | +19.4% |
| 2005 | -3.83 | +14.0% |
| 2006 | -4.17 | +8.7% |
| 2007 | -4.35 | +4.4% |
| 2008 | -3.61 | -16.9% |
| 2009 | -3.82 | +5.7% |
| 2010 | -3.96 | +3.7% |
| 2011 | -3.66 | -7.6% |
| 2012 | -2.64 | -27.9% |
| 2013 | -2.58 | -2.1% |
| 2014 | -2.26 | -12.7% |
| 2015 | -2.31 | +2.4% |
| 2016 | -2.38 | +3.2% |
| 2017 | -3.03 | +27.0% |
| 2018 | -3.32 | +9.8% |
| 2019 | -2.96 | -10.9% |
| 2020 | -1.25 | -57.8% |
| 2021 | -2.35 | +88.4% |
| 2022 | -4.55 | +93.3% |
| 2023 | -3.63 | -20.4% |
| 2024 | -2.99 | -17.5% |
| 2025 | -2.91 | -2.6% |
| 2026 | -3.01 | +3.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's -3.01 is below the median for high income countries, which is -0.6509, 4.6× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Australia's -3.01 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -2.46, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Economic Outlook No 117 — Balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -93.3% | -2.35 | -4.55 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -1.39 | -1.6 | -1.18 | 10 |
| 1970s | -1.38 | -1.69 | -0.9777 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.26 | -3.71 | -1.3 | 10 |
| 1990s | -3.33 | -4.07 | -2.7 | 10 |
| 2000s | -3.43 | -4.35 | -2.75 | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.91 | -3.96 | -2.26 | 10 |
| 2020s | -2.96 | -4.55 | -1.25 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.36 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -4.55 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0025 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -164.69 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 36.52 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -32.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0203 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,323 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 20.24 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia?
- Economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of in Australia was -3.01 in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was -0.9777 in 1974.
- What is the lowest economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was -4.55 in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of?
- Australia ranks 27th out of 36 countries with data for 2026.
- Is economic outlook no 117 — balance of primary income as a percent of rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Economic Outlook No 117 — Balance of primary income as a percent of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The OECD Economic Outlook presents the OECD’s analysis of the major global economic trends and prospects for the next two years. The Outlook puts forward a consistent set of projections for output, employment, government spending, prices and current balances based on a review of each member country and of the induced effect on each of them on international developments. OECD (2025), OECD Economic Outlook No 117 (Edition 2025/1) EO117 Database documentation EO117 Last historical points gdp inflation cpi population unemployment real gdp gdp per capita employment OECD Economic Outlook website: https://www.oecd.org/economic-outlook/ Contact : eco.outlook@oecd.org Keywords : Outlook, forecasts, forecast, GDP