Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Australia
Australia: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) was -1.3% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Australia, 1972–2022
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Australia recorded -1.3% for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in 2022.
The figure is up 80.3% on the previous year and up 56.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Australia peaked at 2.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, -6.8%, in 2021.
Australia ranks 57th of 156 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1.9% | — |
| 1973 | 0.6% | -68.4% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | +191.2% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | -94.5% |
| 1976 | -1.8% | -1979.5% |
| 1977 | -1.2% | -32.4% |
| 1978 | -1.9% | +51.0% |
| 1979 | -1.8% | -5.4% |
| 1980 | -0.9% | -46.7% |
| 1981 | -0.1% | -92.0% |
| 1982 | 0.2% | -430.6% |
| 1983 | -1.7% | -793.7% |
| 1984 | -3.2% | +87.3% |
| 1985 | -2.5% | -22.3% |
| 1986 | -1.9% | -23.3% |
| 1987 | -0.8% | -59.1% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | -167.8% |
| 1989 | 1.7% | +214.8% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -94.4% |
| 1992 | -2.7% | -3033.6% |
| 1993 | -3.8% | +39.8% |
| 1994 | -3.6% | -4.7% |
| 1995 | -3.2% | -11.5% |
| 1996 | -1.7% | -46.2% |
| 1997 | -0.4% | -76.8% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | -594.0% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -72.3% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +264.0% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -56.0% |
| 2002 | -0.4% | -149.8% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -282.3% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | +53.9% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | +37.9% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | +16.7% |
| 2009 | -2.4% | -228.1% |
| 2010 | -4.0% | +64.7% |
| 2011 | -3.8% | -5.8% |
| 2012 | -3.1% | -17.1% |
| 2013 | -1.5% | -52.8% |
| 2014 | -2.2% | +49.0% |
| 2015 | -2.6% | +18.2% |
| 2016 | -2.3% | -10.5% |
| 2017 | -1.7% | -24.9% |
| 2018 | -0.5% | -71.8% |
| 2019 | -0.1% | -71.5% |
| 2020 | -5.0% | +3426.9% |
| 2021 | -6.8% | +38.1% |
| 2022 | -1.3% | -80.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's -1.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is -1.8%, 75% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Australia's -1.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -1.4%, 94% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -3426.9% | -0.1% | -5.0% |
| 1992 | -3033.6% | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 1976 | -1979.5% | 0.1% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | -793.7% | 0.2% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | +594.0% | -0.4% | 2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -0.3% | -1.9% | 1.9% | 8 |
| 1980s | -0.9% | -3.2% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.1% | -3.8% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | -2.4% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.2% | -4.0% | -0.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | -4.4% | -6.8% | -1.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More public sector data for Australia
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Australia?
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) in Australia was -1.3% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was -6.8% in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for net lending (+) / net borrowing (-)?
- Australia ranks 57th out of 156 countries with data for 2022.
- Is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.