Net foreign assets in Australia
Australia: Net foreign assets was -136.13 billion current LCU in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-136.13 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 36.0%
World rank
177th
of 187 countries
All-time high
12.32 billion current LCU
in 1983
All-time low
-719.77 billion current LCU
in 2021
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Net foreign assets in Australia, 1960–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
The most recent figure for net foreign assets in Australia is -136.13 billion current LCU, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 36.0% on the previous year and up 58.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net foreign assets in Australia peaked at 12.32 billion current LCU in 1983 and was at its lowest, -719.77 billion current LCU, in 2021.
That places Australia 177th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net foreign assets in Australia, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 828.00 million current LCU | — |
| 1961 | 1.05 billion current LCU | +26.8% |
| 1962 | 1.21 billion current LCU | +15.3% |
| 1963 | 1.62 billion current LCU | +33.7% |
| 1964 | 1.73 billion current LCU | +7.0% |
| 1965 | 1.34 billion current LCU | -22.5% |
| 1966 | 1.41 billion current LCU | +5.0% |
| 1967 | 1.28 billion current LCU | -8.7% |
| 1968 | 1.36 billion current LCU | +6.2% |
| 1969 | 1.33 billion current LCU | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 1.55 billion current LCU | +16.9% |
| 1971 | 2.66 billion current LCU | +70.9% |
| 1972 | 4.58 billion current LCU | +72.2% |
| 1973 | 3.69 billion current LCU | -19.3% |
| 1974 | 2.91 billion current LCU | -21.2% |
| 1975 | 2.70 billion current LCU | -7.3% |
| 1976 | 2.13 billion current LCU | -21.2% |
| 1977 | 2.35 billion current LCU | +10.4% |
| 1978 | 2.71 billion current LCU | +15.4% |
| 1979 | 3.27 billion current LCU | +20.5% |
| 1980 | 5.15 billion current LCU | +57.6% |
| 1981 | 3.48 billion current LCU | -32.4% |
| 1982 | 8.56 billion current LCU | +145.9% |
| 1983 | 12.32 billion current LCU | +44.0% |
| 1984 | 11.01 billion current LCU | -10.7% |
| 1985 | 9.54 billion current LCU | -13.3% |
| 1986 | 6.58 billion current LCU | -31.0% |
| 1987 | 7.28 billion current LCU | +10.6% |
| 1988 | 10.34 billion current LCU | +41.9% |
| 1989 | 1.72 billion current LCU | -83.3% |
| 1990 | -5.84 billion current LCU | -438.4% |
| 1991 | -13.29 billion current LCU | +127.7% |
| 1992 | -20.63 billion current LCU | +55.3% |
| 1993 | -25.08 billion current LCU | +21.6% |
| 1994 | -16.06 billion current LCU | -36.0% |
| 1995 | -24.47 billion current LCU | +52.3% |
| 1996 | -30.19 billion current LCU | +23.4% |
| 1997 | -35.25 billion current LCU | +16.8% |
| 1998 | -55.43 billion current LCU | +57.2% |
| 1999 | -51.78 billion current LCU | -6.6% |
| 2000 | -72.09 billion current LCU | +39.2% |
| 2001 | -90.80 billion current LCU | +26.0% |
| 2002 | -84.30 billion current LCU | -7.2% |
| 2003 | -106.07 billion current LCU | +25.8% |
| 2004 | -137.97 billion current LCU | +30.1% |
| 2005 | -177.54 billion current LCU | +28.7% |
| 2006 | -228.62 billion current LCU | +28.8% |
| 2007 | -323.62 billion current LCU | +41.6% |
| 2008 | -331.55 billion current LCU | +2.5% |
| 2009 | -379.31 billion current LCU | +14.4% |
| 2010 | -337.30 billion current LCU | -11.1% |
| 2011 | -317.10 billion current LCU | -6.0% |
| 2012 | -331.36 billion current LCU | +4.5% |
| 2013 | -334.14 billion current LCU | +0.8% |
| 2014 | -332.86 billion current LCU | -0.4% |
| 2015 | -325.53 billion current LCU | -2.2% |
| 2016 | -316.30 billion current LCU | -2.8% |
| 2017 | -322.22 billion current LCU | +1.9% |
| 2018 | -359.60 billion current LCU | +11.6% |
| 2019 | -137.75 billion current LCU | -61.7% |
| 2020 | -461.66 billion current LCU | +235.1% |
| 2021 | -719.77 billion current LCU | +55.9% |
| 2022 | -712.36 billion current LCU | -1.0% |
| 2023 | -517.31 billion current LCU | -27.4% |
| 2024 | -212.69 billion current LCU | -58.9% |
| 2025 | -136.13 billion current LCU | -36.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's -136.13 billion current LCU is below the median for high income countries, which is 113.77 billion current LCU. (61 countries reporting)
- Australia's -136.13 billion current LCU is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 348.82 billion current LCU. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net foreign assets 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -438.4% | 1.72 billion current LCU | -5.84 billion current LCU |
| 2020 | -235.1% | -137.75 billion current LCU | -461.66 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.32 billion current LCU | 828.00 million current LCU | 1.73 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.85 billion current LCU | 1.55 billion current LCU | 4.58 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.60 billion current LCU | 1.72 billion current LCU | 12.32 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | -27.80 billion current LCU | -55.43 billion current LCU | -5.84 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | -193.19 billion current LCU | -379.31 billion current LCU | -72.09 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | -311.42 billion current LCU | -359.60 billion current LCU | -137.75 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | -459.99 billion current LCU | -719.77 billion current LCU | -136.13 billion current LCU | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More financial sector data for Australia
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 11.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0013 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 83.74 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 6.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0009 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 61.14 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 11.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0013 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 83.74 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 6.56 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net foreign assets in Australia?
- Net foreign assets in Australia was -136.13 billion current LCU in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net foreign assets recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.32 billion current LCU in 1983.
- What is the lowest net foreign assets recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was -719.77 billion current LCU in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for net foreign assets?
- Australia ranks 177th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is net foreign assets rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net foreign assets (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.