Australia's current account deficit widened by $2.8 billion in the December quarter 2025, reaching a total of $21.1 billion, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The result marks the second consecutive quarterly fall, primarily driven by a $2.5 billion blowout in the net primary income deficit.
Jonathon Khoo, ABS head of international statistics, noted that stronger dividend payments to overseas investors and a decrease in income from Australian investments abroad pushed the primary income deficit to $21.7 billion.
Consequently, the steady $1.3 billion trade surplus in goods and services—drastically lower than its $41.3 billion peak in 2022—is no longer sufficient to offset these outflows.
Trade activity was characterised by record-high gold prices, with both imports and exports of non-monetary gold hitting historic peaks.
