Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in Australia

Australia: Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent was -0.0477 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
-0.0477
Change on year
up 85.0%
World rank
34th
of 64 countries
All-time high
-0.0477
in 2020
All-time low
-0.5376
in 1990
Years of data
27
1990–2020

Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in Australia, 1990–2020

-0.5-0.4-0.3-0.2-0.1-01990200520201990: -0.5381991: -0.4331992: -0.2551993: -0.211994: -0.1961999: -0.3342000: -0.4012001: -0.3782002: -0.3352003: -0.4082004: -0.3922005: -0.4212006: -0.4492007: -0.4372008: -0.4612009: -0.222010: -0.1852011: -0.1752012: -0.1792013: -0.2412014: -0.2052015: -0.1942016: -0.2062017: -0.2492018: -0.3052019: -0.3182020: -0.048

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

In 2020, vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in Australia stood at -0.0477. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

The figure is up 85.0% on the previous year and up 74.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in Australia peaked at -0.0477 in 2020 and was at its lowest, -0.5376, in 1990.

That places Australia 34th out of 64 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent (Central government) in Australia, 1990 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1990 -0.5376
1991 -0.4327 -19.5%
1992 -0.2551 -41.1%
1993 -0.2096 -17.8%
1994 -0.1961 -6.5%
1999 -0.3339 +70.3%
2000 -0.4012 +20.2%
2001 -0.3777 -5.8%
2002 -0.3346 -11.4%
2003 -0.4081 +22.0%
2004 -0.3918 -4.0%
2005 -0.4205 +7.3%
2006 -0.4494 +6.9%
2007 -0.4369 -2.8%
2008 -0.4612 +5.6%
2009 -0.2199 -52.3%
2010 -0.1848 -16.0%
2011 -0.1753 -5.2%
2012 -0.1788 +2.0%
2013 -0.2407 +34.6%
2014 -0.2055 -14.6%
2015 -0.1936 -5.8%
2016 -0.2062 +6.5%
2017 -0.2487 +20.6%
2018 -0.3046 +22.4%
2019 -0.3184 +4.5%
2020 -0.0477 -85.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s -0.3275 -0.5376 -0.1961 6
2000s -0.3901 -0.4612 -0.2199 10
2010s -0.2257 -0.3184 -0.1753 10
2020s -0.0477 -0.0477 -0.0477 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 31 Tunisia -0.0024 compare
  2. 32 Peru -0.0204 compare
  3. 33 Iran, Islamic Republic of -0.0212 compare
  4. 35 Kazakhstan -0.0484 compare
  5. 36 Türkiye -0.0518 compare
  6. 37 North Macedonia -0.0623 compare

See the full ranking of 64 places →

More public sector data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in Australia?
Vertical fiscal imbalance, percent in Australia was -0.0477 in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest vertical fiscal imbalance, percent recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was -0.0477 in 2020.
What is the lowest vertical fiscal imbalance, percent recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was -0.5376 in 1990.
How does Australia rank for vertical fiscal imbalance, percent?
Australia ranks 34th out of 64 countries with data for 2020.
Is vertical fiscal imbalance, percent rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 74.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent (Central government). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/vertical-fiscal-imbalance-percent-central-government/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Vertical fiscal imbalance, Percent (Central government)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
64 places, 1,123 data points, 1989–2020
Last refreshed

The Fiscal Decentralization dataset includes fiscal decentralization indicators for a sample of IMF member countries. The following indicators are included in the dataset: Revenue and Expenditure Decentralization Shares; Transfer dependency and Vertical Fiscal Imbalances; Deficit and Debt; Allocation of expenditure (economic classification); Allocation of expenditure (functional classification); Allocation of non-Tax Revenues; and Allocation of Taxes.