This page displays a table with Australia Imports By Country in U.S. dollars, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

The statistic depicts Australia's gross domestic product (GDP) from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. In 2023, GDP in Australia amounted to about 1.74 trillion US dollars. See global GDP for a global comparison.

Australia’s economy and population

Australia’s gross domestic product has been growing steadily, and all in all, Australia and its economic key factors show a well-set country. Australia is among the countries with the largest gross domestic product / GDP worldwide, and thus one of the largest economies. It was one of the few countries not severely stricken by the 2008 financial crisis; its unemployment rate, inflation rate and trade balance, for example, were hardly affected at all. In fact, the trade balance of Australia – a country’s exports minus its imports – has been higher than ever since 2010, with a slight dip in 2012. Australia mainly exports wine and agricultural products to countries like China, Japan or South Korea. One of Australia’s largest industries is tourism, which contributes a significant share to its gross domestic product. Almost half of approximately 23 million Australian residents are employed nowadays, life expectancy is increasing, and the fertility rate (the number of children born per woman) has been quite stable.

A look at the distribution of the world population by continent shows that Australia is ranked last in terms of population and population density. Most of Australia's population lives at the coast in metropolitan areas, since parts of the continent are uninhabitable. Unsurprisingly, Australia is known as a country with very high living standards, four of its biggest cities – Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth – are among the most livable cities worldwide.

In 2021, China was the world's largest importer of iron ore by a large margin, having accounted for a 70 percent share of the total global iron ore imports based on value.

Key facts on iron ore mining

China accumulated a majority of the global iron ore imports in 2021, with over 70 percent of total global imports. Japan followed behind distantly with a 7.3 percent share of iron ore imports. On the other hand, Australia exports the largest share of global iron ore. Australia currently holds the world’s largest iron ore reserves, totaling 25 billion metric tons in iron content and 51 billion metric tons in crude ore as of 2021. China’s large share of iron ore imports is due to its heavy consumption of the material. It has become one of the largest steel producers in the world.

Iron ore producers and end-users

Iron ore is based on its valuable metallic iron, which can be extracted from rocks and minerals. A large majority, over 95 percent, of the iron ore mined in the world is used to make steel. It is commonly used for structural engineering applications, vehicles, and machinery. Brazilian company Vale is one of the largest iron ore producers in the world, producing 316 million metric tons in 2021.

Australia was by far the country exporting the largest amount of iron ore worldwide in 2023. Some 56.4 percent of global iron ore exports came from Australia, worth 91 billion U.S. dollars that year. Australia is able to export the most iron ore worldwide due to the fact that it also has the world's largest reserves of iron ore. What is iron ore? Iron ores are rocks from which metallic iron can be extracted for profit. The ores usually have a lot of iron oxides and come in multiple colors. However, they appear dark grey or rusty grey and come in different chemical compounds. These compounds include hematite, magnetite, siderite, limonite, or goethite. One of the main uses of iron is to produce steel. Global iron ore trade Australia is consistently the leading iron ore exporting country in the world. On the other hand, China is the world’s largest importer of iron ore, accounting for a 70 percent share of the total global iron ore imports based on value in 2021.

Australia dominates in the global barley trade. In 2014, Australia exported 6,134 thousand tons of barley totaling 1,589 million USD, 7% over the previous year. Its primary trading partner on the global barley market was China, where it supplied 15% of its total barley exports in value terms, accounting for 15% of China's total imports.

In 2023, around 54 percent of roasted coffee beans imported into Australia came from Switzerland. Italy was the second most prominent country of origin, making up just over 15 percent of the total value of roasted coffee imports.

In 2024, Australia imported coffee and coffee substitutes to the value of almost 1.33 billion Australian dollars. Over the past decade, coffee imports to Australia increased significantly from around 813 million Australian dollars’ worth of coffee imports in 2015. Coffee consumption Over the years, coffee has become a nationwide obsession that is now part of Australia’s cultural identity. Brands such as Nestlé (Nescafé and Nespresso), Vittoria, and Lavazza, as well as ALDI-own-brand coffee, are some of the most popular brands for coffee beans, instant coffee, and capsules among coffee drinkers in Australia. In 2024, annual domestic coffee consumption totaled around 2.15 million 60-kilogram bags. Cappuccinos, lattes, and flat whites are the top three favorite coffee drinks among consumers in Australia, with cappuccinos the number one coffee across most Australian states. The leading reasons consumers drink coffee are for the taste and to wake up. Nonetheless, some Australians report consuming coffee to relax and unwind. Cafés: another casualty of inflation? The pandemic has changed consumer behavior in many ways across Australia, with coffee consumption no exception to this rule. From Sunday brunch to afternoon coffee dates, buying coffee at cafés is popular among Australians. When choosing which coffee shop to visit, the quality of coffee as well as affordability, are considered the most important coffee shop attributes among the country’s coffee drinkers. Nonetheless, cost of living pressures have led consumers to rethink their budgets, with many swapping takeout coffees for homemade brews created with their own machines. In the coming years, as the pool of café regulars shrinks due to rising coffee drink prices, coffee shops across the country could suffer as discretionary spending continues to fall.

Imports of roast and ground coffee products to Australia fluctuated in the period between 2016 and 2019. However, the 2020 financial year saw coffee imports increase to 200 thousand sixty-kilogram bags. From 2020 to 2024, roast and ground coffee imports remained around this level.

Imports of soluble coffee products to Australia fluctuated in the period between 2020 and 2024, with an import volume of 350 thousand sixty-kilogram bags recorded in 2024. Throughout the given period, soluble coffee product imports to Australia reached a peak in 2022 at around 365 thousand sixty-kilogram bags.

The United States was the world’s leading exporter of natural gas in 2023, exporting 89.1 billion cubic meters of gas via pipelines and 114.4 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Russia was the second-largest natural gas exporter globally, followed by Qatar and Norway. Pipeline vs LNG exports Among other top natural gas exporters, Canada is one of only two countries relying exclusively on pipelines. Pipelines are considered the safest means of transporting gaseous fuels, however, their use is often limited to shorter distances over land. As such, the United States is Canada's only direct trading partner for natural gas. Pipelines are also the most common form of moving gas across the European continent, with the majority of Russian natural gas exports ending in European consumer markets. LNG on the other hand is mostly used in inter-continental exports to destinations far removed from large-scale producing sites. Japan, China, and South Korea make up more than half of the LNG import market share worldwide. Natural gas liquefaction When pipeline transport is not feasible, natural gas is liquified to be transported over long distances. During this process, natural gas is cooled down to minus 160 degrees Celsius, which results in a reduction of its volume by around 600-fold. Natural gas was first transported in its liquid stage in the late 1950s. In 2023, the United States was the country with the largest operating LNG export capacity worldwide, Australia came in second place. Also, the country with the leading LNG export capacity under development was United States.