Australia’s current account deficit widened to AUD 27.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026 from a downwardly revised AUD 25.4 billion in the previous quarter, below market expectations of an AUD 30 billion shortfall. It was the largest current account deficit on record, as the goods and services deficit increased sharply to AUD 5.1 billion from AUD 2.9 billion in Q1, due to a sharp rise in imports amid rising oil prices, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East tightened global supply and output. Meanwhile, the secondary income deficit fell to AUD 0.3 billion from AUD 0.6 billion, while the primary income deficit was almost unchanged at AUD 21.9 billion. “The primary income deficit is the largest proportion of the current account deficit. When combined with the larger deficit on trade in goods and services, it is expected to push the current account deficit to its highest share of nominal GDP since the June quarter 2016,” Jonathon Khoo, ABS head of international statistics, said. source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australia recorded a Current Account deficit of 27220 AUD Million in the second quarter of 2026. Current Account in Australia averaged -5322.83 AUD Million from 1959 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 17824.00 AUD Million in the third quarter of 2021 and a record low of -27220.00 AUD Million in the second quarter of 2026. This page provides - Australia Current Account - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Australia Current Account - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on September of 2026.

Australia recorded a Current Account deficit of 27220 AUD Million in the second quarter of 2026. Current Account in Australia is expected to be -20000.00 AUD Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Australia Current Account is projected to trend around -8200.00 AUD Million in 2027 and -4000.00 AUD Million in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-06-02 01:30 AM
Current Account
Q1 A$-27.1B A$-23.0B A$-23B A$-24.0B
2026-09-01 01:30 AM
Current Account
Q2 A$-27.2B A$-25.4B A$-30B A$-30.6B
2026-12-01 12:30 AM
Current Account
Q3 A$-27.2B A$ -20B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade 1923.00 2341.00 AUD Million Jul 2026
Capital Flows 5295.00 16600.00 AUD Million Jun 2026
Current Account -27220.00 -25448.00 AUD Million Jun 2026
Exports MoM 46261.00 47837.00 AUD Million Jul 2026
External Debt 2857098.00 2780509.00 AUD Million Jun 2026
Foreign Direct Investment 54712.00 77930.00 AUD Million Dec 2025
Imports MoM 44339.00 45496.00 AUD Million Jul 2026
Terms of Trade 111.90 117.00 points Jun 2026
Tourist Arrivals 710980.00 566910.00 Jul 2026


Australia Current Account
Current Account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid).
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-27220.00 -25448.00 17824.00 -27220.00 1959 - 2026 AUD Million Quarterly
SA

News Stream
Australia Q2 Current Account Gap Hits Record High
Australia’s current account deficit widened to AUD 27.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026 from a downwardly revised AUD 25.4 billion in the previous quarter, below market expectations of an AUD 30 billion shortfall. It was the largest current account deficit on record, as the goods and services deficit increased sharply to AUD 5.1 billion from AUD 2.9 billion in Q1, due to a sharp rise in imports amid rising oil prices, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East tightened global supply and output. Meanwhile, the secondary income deficit fell to AUD 0.3 billion from AUD 0.6 billion, while the primary income deficit was almost unchanged at AUD 21.9 billion. “The primary income deficit is the largest proportion of the current account deficit. When combined with the larger deficit on trade in goods and services, it is expected to push the current account deficit to its highest share of nominal GDP since the June quarter 2016,” Jonathon Khoo, ABS head of international statistics, said.
2026-09-01
Australia Posts Largest Current Account Gap on Record
Australia’s current account deficit widened to AUD 27.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026 from an upwardly revised AUD 23.0 billion in the previous quarter, exceeding market expectations of an AUD 23.0 billion shortfall. It was the largest current account deficit on record, as the goods and services balance swung to an AUD 2.4 billion deficit from an AUD 1.1 billion surplus in Q4, amid rising oil prices following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, the secondary income deficit widened to AUD 1.0 billion from AUD 0.8 billion, while the primary income deficit increased to AUD 23.7 billion in Q1 2026 from AUD 23.3 billion in the previous quarter. " Trade in goods and services fell into a deficit for the first time since the December quarter 2017, with exports of mining commodities falling and imports of data centre equipment and fuels rising," Jonathon Khoo, ABS head of international statistics, said.
2026-06-02
Australia Q4 Current Account Gap Largest Since 2015
Australia’s current account deficit widened to AUD 21.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, from an upwardly revised AUD 18.3 billion in the previous quarter and exceeding market expectations of AUD 16.3 billion shortfall. This marked the largest current account gap since Q4 2015, as the goods and services surplus narrowed slightly to AUD 1.3 billion from AUD 1.4 billion in Q3, while the secondary income deficit rose to AUD 0.9 billion from AUD 0.5 billion. Moreover, the primary income deficit climbed to AUD 21.7 billion in Q4 2025 from AUD 19.2 billion in the previous quarter, driven by a AUD 1 billion decline in primary income credits (inflows), partially offset by a AUD 1.6 billion rise in primary income debits (outflows). The drop in inflows largely reflected lower profits from direct investment assets, which slumped 11.2%.
2026-03-03