Introduction
Have you ever wondered where Australia’s freight come from and go to? Explore where our imports and exports flow through, and their volume and value across ports and airports.
The flow of imports and exports are not equal across various locations and modes of transport. For example, while some container ports might import more than they export, other larger bulk ports are primarily oriented around exports. Nationally consistent and accurate data on imports and exports is important for government and industry to make informed decisions to ensure the safe and efficient movement of freight leaving and entering Australia.
About the data
This interactive shows import and export data by commodity volume and value, port of departure and arrival, country of origin and destination, and mode of transport. The data is collected from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which uses the International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia data methodology to extract, clean and aggregate data from the Australian Border Force (ABF) Integrated Cargo System, and makes adjustments for coverage, timing and valuation.
For more information on the underlying dataset, or to access the data, please refer to the NFDH catalogue entry.
Some statistics for certain commodities are restricted for confidentiality purposes, including a large proportion of unknown and de-identified locations. In this interactive map, these are represented in the sea, west of Tasmania. This visualisation shows nominal figures for commodity values. The historical value of the imports and exports have not been adjusted for inflation to make it directly comparable between years.
The NFDH Customs Project is working closely with the ABF on sharing more detailed import and export data to enable government and industry to build on existing ABS data to better plan for and invest in the efficiency and resilience of Australia’s sea and air freight and supply chain networks.
Limitations
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Data is limited to goods which pass the customs frontier and for which customs declarations are required.
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Imports under $1000 and exports under $2000 do not have to be declared and are not included in the data.
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The visualisation shows nominal figures for commodity values. The historical value of the imports and exports have not been adjusted for inflation to make it directly comparable between years.
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The ABS makes some data confidential. Further information can be found in the Confidential Commodities List. Where necessary, a restriction is placed to suppress detail, the level of detail depends on the nature of the restriction.
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The ABS changed how confidential import and export data was handled from September 2008 and June 2013 respectively. See the ABS International Merchandise Trade, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods, 2018 for more information on the data and its limitations.
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While every effort is made by the ABS to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data, there may be revisions in the data as more complete and accurate information becomes available. Revisions to data may occur after initial release.
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Goods simply transported through Australia (goods in transit), and goods entering or leaving Australia on a temporary basis e.g. for repair or for exhibition, are not included in Australia's international merchandise trade. Where such goods are entered on an import or export declaration they are included in Australia's international non-merchandise trade. Examples include art exhibits, racehorses, vessels sent overseas for repairs, and the personal belongings of passengers.
Feedback
Please Contact the NFDH team if you have any questions or suggestions for improving this interactive. All feedback is appreciated.