Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage of in Australia

Australia: Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage of was -2.2 in 2026. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2026)
-2.2
Change on year
down 9.4%
World rank
29th
of 39 countries
All-time high
2.43
in 2021
All-time low
-6.77
in 2007
Years of data
67
1960–2026

Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage of in Australia, 1960–2026

-6-4-202196019932026

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Analysis

In 2026, economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of in Australia stood at -2.2.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.4% on the previous year and up 36.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of in Australia peaked at 2.43 in 2021 and was at its lowest, -6.77, in 2007.

That places Australia 29th out of 39 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage of in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage of GDP in Australia, 1960 to 2026.
Year Value Change
1960 -3.72
1961 -0.1774 -95.2%
1962 -0.8946 +404.4%
1963 -0.1382 -84.5%
1964 -1.23 +787.8%
1965 -3.6 +193.0%
1966 -1.99 -44.6%
1967 -2.5 +25.2%
1968 -3.52 +40.9%
1969 -1.92 -45.6%
1970 -1.5 -21.6%
1971 -1.27 -15.8%
1972 1.32 -204.0%
1973 1.09 -17.5%
1974 -2.58 -337.3%
1975 -0.7207 -72.0%
1976 -1.37 +90.2%
1977 -2.43 +77.1%
1978 -3.25 +34.0%
1979 -1.56 -52.0%
1980 -2.36 +51.2%
1981 -4.23 +79.2%
1982 -4.15 -2.0%
1983 -3.22 -22.3%
1984 -4.22 +31.1%
1985 -4.96 +17.4%
1986 -5.06 +2.1%
1987 -3.42 -32.5%
1988 -3.88 +13.5%
1989 -6.01 +55.2%
1990 -4.85 -19.3%
1991 -3.3 -32.1%
1992 -3.28 -0.4%
1993 -3.06 -6.7%
1994 -4.56 +48.7%
1995 -4.98 +9.3%
1996 -3.47 -30.4%
1997 -2.91 -16.2%
1998 -4.92 +69.3%
1999 -5.48 +11.4%
2000 -4.02 -26.5%
2001 -2.28 -43.3%
2002 -3.83 +68.1%
2003 -5.36 +39.8%
2004 -6.32 +18.0%
2005 -5.96 -5.8%
2006 -5.9 -1.0%
2007 -6.77 +14.8%
2008 -4.76 -29.8%
2009 -4.65 -2.2%
2010 -3.66 -21.3%
2011 -3.01 -17.7%
2012 -4.37 +45.1%
2013 -3.4 -22.3%
2014 -3.12 -8.3%
2015 -4.76 +52.9%
2016 -3.46 -27.4%
2017 -2.87 -17.1%
2018 -2.58 -10.0%
2019 -0.0196 -99.2%
2020 1.84 -9469.5%
2021 2.43 +32.2%
2022 0.322 -86.7%
2023 -0.3104 -196.4%
2024 -1.91 +515.0%
2025 -2.01 +5.5%
2026 -2.2 +9.4%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's -2.2 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4993. (29 countries reporting)
  • Australia's -2.2 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -2.2, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage 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.

YearChange FromTo
2020 +9469.5% -0.0196 1.84
1964 -787.8% -0.1382 -1.23
2024 -515.0% -0.3104 -1.91
1962 -404.4% -0.1774 -0.8946
1974 -337.3% 1.09 -2.58

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -1.97 -3.72 -0.1382 10
1970s -1.23 -3.25 1.32 10
1980s -4.15 -6.01 -2.36 10
1990s -4.08 -5.48 -2.91 10
2000s -4.99 -6.77 -2.28 10
2010s -3.12 -4.76 -0.0196 10
2020s -0.2641 -2.2 2.43 7

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 26 Canada -1.01 compare
  2. 27 South Africa -1.85 compare
  3. 28 Costa Rica -1.99 compare
  4. 30 Indonesia -2.37 compare
  5. 31 Bulgaria -2.54 compare
  6. 32 Brazil -2.54 compare

See the full ranking of 53 places →

More economy & growth data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of in Australia?
Economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of in Australia was -2.2 in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 2.43 in 2021.
What is the lowest economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was -6.77 in 2007.
How does Australia rank for economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of?
Australia ranks 29th out of 39 countries with data for 2026.
Is economic outlook no 117 — current account balance as a percentage of rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 — Current account balance as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage of in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/economic-outlook-no-117-current-account-balance-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Economic Outlook No 117 — Current account balance as a percentage of GDP
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
53 places, 2,334 data points, 1960–2026
Last refreshed

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