Australia GDP Data & Country Report

Australia Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Australia; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION

Central bank

Reserve Bank of Australia

International Reserves

US$ 43.879 billion (Source: IMF; Data updated: November 2011)

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

US$ 1.448 trillion (2010 estimate)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

918.529 billion of International dollars (2010 estimate)

Real GDP growth

2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
3.3%	2.6%	3.9%	3.2%	3.6%	3.2%	2.6%	4.8%
2008	2009	2010	2011*
2.2%	1.3%	2.7%	3%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

US$ 64,351 (2010 estimate)

GDP per capita - PPP

$40,816 International Dollars (2010 estimate)

GDP (PPP) - share of world total

1980	1990	2000	2010	2015**
1.32%	1.31%	1.26%	1.19%	1.13%

**Forecast

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 26%
services: 70% (2009 estimate)

(Data released on November 2010)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)

1.97% (2006)

(Data released on November 2010)

Inflation

2008	2009	2010	2011*
4.4%(2008)	1.8%	2.8%	3%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate

2008	2009	2010	2011*
4.2%	5.6%	5.2%(2009)	5%

*Estimate

Household saving rates

2.5% (Net saving; 2011 forecast)

(Data released on November 2010)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)

2007	2008	2009	2010	2011*
9.5%	11.6%	17.6%	22.3%	24.1%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)

2007	2008	2009	2010*	2011**
1.5%	-0.5%	-4.1%	-4.6%	-2.5%

*Estimate **Forecast

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: AAA/Stable/A-1+

Moody's rating: Aaa

Moody's outlook: STA

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares

2007	2008	2009
US$1.298 trillion	US$675.619 billion	US$1.258 trillion

Largest companies in Australia

Westpac Banking Group (Major Banks), BHP Billiton (Diversified Metals & Mining), Commonwealth Bank (Major Banks), National Australia Bank (Major Banks), ANZ Banking (Major Banks), Telstra (Telecommunications services), Wesfarmers (Food Retail)
(2011)

DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS

Current account balance

US$ -5.5 billion (2010 estimate)(After 2008)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

-0.4% of GDP (2010 estimate)(2009)

Exports as percent of GDP

(Exports of goods and services)

19.8% (2008)

(Data released on December 2010)

Shares in world total merchandising export

1.4%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Shares in world total commercial services export

1.28%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Total exports

US$210.7 billion f.o.b. (2010 estimate)

Export commodities

coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat

Total imports

US$187.2 billion (2008 estimate)

Import commodities

machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products

Exports - major partners

Japan 18.9%, China 14.2%, South Korea 8%, US 6%, NZ 5.6%, India 5.5%, UK 4.2% (2007)

Imports - major partners

China 15.5%, US 12.8%, Japan 9.6%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.2%, UK 4.3%, Thailand 4.2% (2007)

FDI inflows

2008	2009	2010
US$46,843 million	US$25,716 million(2009)	US$32,472 million(2009)

FDI outflows

2008	2009	2010
US$33,604 million	US$16,160 million	US$26,431 million

Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser

2008	2009	2010	2011
US$18,454 million	US$-2,981 million(2009)	US$15,323 million(2009)	US$3,987 million

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

Investor Group, Angel Trains Ltd, United Kingdom, $7.0 billion
Investor Group, MidCon Corp, United States, $6.6 billion

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2010

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

Newcrest Mining Ltd, Lihir Gold Ltd, Papua New Guinea, $9 billion
CS CSG (Australia) Pty Ltd, Arrow Energy Ltd, Australia, $3.2 billion
(2008 estimate)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

World Bank/IFC Doing Business Project

(Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 183. A high ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.)

Overall ranking: 10 out of 183 countries(2009) (2010)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 2 out of 183 countries(2009)

Registering property: 35 out of 183 countries

Paying Taxes: 48 out of 183 countries

Getting credit: 6 out of 183 countries

Protecting investors: 59 out of 183 countries

Trading across border: 29 out of 183 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 16 out of 183 countries

(2010)

Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 142, the first is the best)

(2011/2012)

Index of Economic Freedom

WSJ and Heritage Foundation

Ranking: 3 Score: 82.5 (Free) (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )

COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW

Time zone

UTC+10

Total area

7,692,024 km² (2006)

Capital

Canberra (2009)

Currency

Australian dollars (AUD) (2009)

Government type

federal parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm (2009)

Languages

English 78.5%, Chinese 2.5%, Italian 1.6%, Greek 1.3%, Arabic 1.2%, Vietnamese 1%, other 8.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2006 Census)

Religions

Cetholic 25.8%, Anglican 18.7%, Uniting Church 5.7%, Presbyterian and Reformed 3%, Eastern Orthodox 2.7%, Other Christian 7.9%, Buddhist 2.1%, Muslim 1.7%, Other 2.4%, Unspecified 11.3%, None 18.7% (2006 Census)

Total population

1980	1990	2000	2010*	2015**
14.72 million	17.17 million	19.27 million	22.23 million	23.65 million

*Estimate **Forecast

Urban population as % of total population

1960	1980	2000	2009
81.5%	85.8%	87.2%	88.9%

Population median age

37.0 years (2006)

Population growth rate

2% (2009)

Life expectancy

81 years (2007)

Adult literacy

N/A

% of population living on less than $2 a day

N/A

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

35.2 (1994)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Political Rights:1
Civil Liberties:1 (2010)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)

Total telephone subscribers as % of population

139.93% (2010)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

76% (Data were released in 2011 and refer to 2010)

Cost of living index

(ranking by city on a basis of 214; the 1st is the most expensive and the 214th is the least expensive)

Canberra: 34th (2011)

CO2 emissions
(Metric tons of CO2 per capita)

18.9433 (2008)

GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS

WORLD'S BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE BANKS

2010:

COUNTRY WINNERS Commonwealth Bank of Australia (National, 2010)

2009:

COUNTRY WINNERS Commonwealth Bank of Australia (National, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST TRADE FINANCE BANKS & PROVIDERS

2011:

COUNTRY WINNERS ANZ (National, 2011)

2010:

COUNTRY WINNERS Commonwealth Bank of Australia (National, 2010)

2009:

COUNTRY WINNERS ANZ (National, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST DEVELOPED MARKET BANKS

2011:

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (National, 2011)

2010:

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (National, 2010)

2009:

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Asia Pacific and Middle East, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST INTERNET BANKS

2011:

COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks Citi (National, 2011)
COUNTRY WINNERS /Best Corporate / Institutional Internet Banks Citi (National, 2011)

2010:

COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks HSBC (National, 2010)
COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Banks Citi (National, 2010)

2009:

COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks HSBC (2009)
COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Banks Citi (2009)

WORLD'S SAFEST BANKS

2011:

REGIONAL WINNERS National Australia Bank (Australasia, 2011)
REGIONAL WINNERS Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Australasia, 2011)
REGIONAL WINNERS Westpac Banking Corporation (Australasia, 2011)
REGIONAL WINNERS ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) (Australasia, 2011)
REGIONAL WINNERS Suncorp-Metway (Australasia, 2011)
REGIONAL WINNERS Macquarie Group (Australasia, 2011)
REGIONAL WINNERS Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (Australasia, 2011)
OVERALL SAFEST National Australia Bank Limited (Global, 2011)
OVERALL SAFEST Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Global, 2011)
OVERALL SAFEST Westpac Banking Corporation (Global, 2011)
OVERALL SAFEST Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (Global, 2011)

2010:

REGIONAL WINNERS National Australia Bank (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS Westpac Banking Corporation (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS Suncorp-Metway Ltd. (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS Macquarie Group (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS AMP Bank (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS Bendigo and Adelaide Bank (Australasia, 2010)
REGIONAL WINNERS Bank of Queensland (Australasia, 2010)
OVERALL SAFEST National Australia Bank (Global, 2010)
OVERALL SAFEST Westpac Banking Corporation (Global, 2010)
OVERALL SAFEST Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Global, 2010)
OVERALL SAFEST Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (Global, 2010)

2009:

OVERALL SAFEST National Australia Bank (Global, 2009)
OVERALL SAFEST Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Global, 2009)
OVERALL SAFEST Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (Global, 2009)
OVERALL SAFEST Westpac Banking Corporation (Global, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST SUB CUSTODIANS

2011:

COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC (National, 2011)

2010:

COUNTRY WINNERS HSBC (National, 2010)

2009:

COUNTRY WINNERS National Australia Bank (National, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST INVESTMENT BANKS

2011:

COUNTRY WINNERS UBS Investment Bank (National, 2011)

2010:

COUNTRY WINNERS UBS Investment Bank (National, 2010)

2009:

COUNTRY WINNERS Macquarie Bank (National, 2009)

CENTRAL BANKER REPORT CARD

2011:

Grade: A (Glenn Stevens, 2011)

2010:

Grade: A (Glenn Stevens, 2010)

2009:

Grade: A (Glenn Stevens, 2009)

WORLD'S BIGGEST BANKS

2011:

OVERALL BIGGEST National Australia Bank (Global, 2011)
OVERALL BIGGEST Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Global, 2011)
OVERALL BIGGEST Westpac Banking Corporation (Global, 2011)
OVERALL BIGGEST Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) (Global, 2011)

2010:

OVERALL BIGGEST National Australia Bank (Global, 2010)
OVERALL BIGGEST Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Global, 2010)
OVERALL BIGGEST Westpac (Global, 2010)

WORLD'S BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROVIDERS

2011:

COUNTRY WINNERS Commonwealth Bank of Australia (National, 2011)

ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE

Australia GDP Data & Country Report | Global Finance

WORLD'S BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE BANKS

2010:

2009:

WORLD'S BEST TRADE FINANCE BANKS & PROVIDERS

2011:

2010:

2009:

WORLD'S BEST DEVELOPED MARKET BANKS

2011:

2010:

2009:

WORLD'S BEST INTERNET BANKS

2011:

2010:

2009:

WORLD'S SAFEST BANKS

2011:

2010:

2009:

WORLD'S BEST SUB CUSTODIANS

2011:

2010:

2009:

WORLD'S BEST INVESTMENT BANKS

2011:

2010:

2009:

CENTRAL BANKER REPORT CARD

2011:

2010:

2009:

WORLD'S BIGGEST BANKS

2011:

2010:

WORLD'S BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROVIDERS

2011: