Fuel imports in Australia
Australia: Fuel imports was 11.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Fuel imports in Australia, 1963–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2025, fuel imports in Australia stood at 11.7%.
That represents a change of down 12.6% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fuel imports in Australia peaked at 17.4% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 1988.
That places Australia 128th out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Fuel imports in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 10.8% | — |
| 1964 | 9.3% | -13.8% |
| 1965 | 8.5% | -9.5% |
| 1966 | 8.5% | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 7.8% | -8.4% |
| 1968 | 7.2% | -8.5% |
| 1969 | 7.4% | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 5.5% | -25.9% |
| 1971 | 4.8% | -12.9% |
| 1972 | 4.7% | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 4.1% | -12.6% |
| 1974 | 8.4% | +105.2% |
| 1975 | 9.8% | +16.1% |
| 1976 | 9.6% | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 10.1% | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 9.1% | -9.9% |
| 1979 | 10.6% | +17.1% |
| 1980 | 13.8% | +29.9% |
| 1981 | 13.6% | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 14.4% | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 10.8% | -25.0% |
| 1984 | 9.0% | -16.8% |
| 1985 | 6.8% | -25.0% |
| 1986 | 4.6% | -31.6% |
| 1987 | 4.9% | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 4.0% | -17.0% |
| 1989 | 5.1% | +27.1% |
| 1990 | 5.7% | +10.4% |
| 1991 | 6.0% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 5.9% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 6.1% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 4.8% | -21.8% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 6.2% | +24.5% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | -25.8% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | +30.9% |
| 2000 | 8.3% | +41.5% |
| 2001 | 8.7% | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | -15.5% |
| 2003 | 7.9% | +7.3% |
| 2004 | 9.3% | +17.5% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | +20.1% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | +18.8% |
| 2007 | 12.9% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 15.6% | +20.6% |
| 2009 | 12.7% | -19.0% |
| 2010 | 13.6% | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 16.9% | +24.8% |
| 2012 | 16.9% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | -9.1% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | -31.5% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | -14.3% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | +11.8% |
| 2018 | 13.3% | +28.2% |
| 2019 | 12.6% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | -34.9% |
| 2021 | 10.3% | +25.5% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | +48.9% |
| 2023 | 14.8% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 13.3% | -9.9% |
| 2025 | 11.7% | -12.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.5% | 7.2% | 10.8% | 7 |
| 1970s | 7.7% | 4.1% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.7% | 4.0% | 14.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.6% | 4.5% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 7.4% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 9.3% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 8.2% | 15.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 125 New Zealand 12.0% compare
- 126 Morocco 11.8% compare
- 127 North Macedonia 11.8% compare
- 129 Bosnia and Herzegovina 11.6% compare
- 130 Bermuda 11.5% compare
- 131 Saint Lucia 11.4% compare
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.4235 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 1.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fuel imports in Australia?
- Fuel imports in Australia was 11.7% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest fuel imports recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2013.
- What is the lowest fuel imports recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 1988.
- How does Australia rank for fuel imports?
- Australia ranks 128th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fuel imports rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Fuels comprise the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) section 3 (mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.