Two-way investment brief
Australia–United Kingdom
United Kingdom direct investment in Australia
A$154 bn
Total United Kingdom investment in Australia
A$840 bn
Australian direct investment in United Kingdom
A$175 bn
Total Australian investment in United Kingdom
A$626 bn
Trend
Direct investment in both directions
- United Kingdom in Australia
- Australia in United Kingdom
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
- Direct investment
- Portfolio investment
- Other investment
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Net transactions during the year; negative = net disinvestment
- United Kingdom → Australia
- Australia → United Kingdom
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Trade relationship
Australia–United Kingdom trade
Investment and trade move together: the partners that invest most in Australia are usually major trading partners too. Goods trade is recorded monthly (latest: July 2026); services annually.
Two-way trade, 2025
A$51.6 bn
Goods exports to United Kingdom, 2025
A$21.6 bn
Goods imports from United Kingdom, 2025
A$8.2 bn
Services trade, 2025
A$21.8 bn
Calendar years, A$ (ABS merchandise trade)
- Exports to United Kingdom
- Imports from United Kingdom
Source: ABS, International Merchandise Trade (MERCH_EXP / MERCH_IMP), summed to calendar years.
Calendar years, A$ (ABS international trade in services by country)
- Exports to United Kingdom
- Imports from United Kingdom
Source: ABS, International Trade in Services by Country, calendar years.
Economic outlook
United Kingdom’s economy
| IMF World Economic Outlook | 2024 | 2025 | 2026forecast | 2027forecast | 2028forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth | 1.1% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| Inflation | 2.5% | 3.4% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2.0% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 5.3% | 4.8% |
| Current account, % GDP | −3.0% | −3.1% | −3.4% | −3.1% | −2.9% |
| Fiscal balance, % GDP | −6.1% | −5.4% | −3.9% | −3.1% | −2.6% |
| Government gross debt, % GDP | 99.9% | 102.3% | 103.6% | 104.1% | 103.9% |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook via the IMF DataMapper API. Years from 2026 are IMF projections; recent years may be estimates and are revised in each WEO round (April and October).
2025 at a glance
- New FDI from United Kingdom
- A$4.0 bn
- New Australian FDI in United Kingdom
- A$5.7 bn
- Direct investment income paid to investors
- A$2.9 bn
- Direct investment income earned by Australians
- A$10.4 bn
United Kingdom globally (World Bank)
- FDI outflows, 2024
- −$72.5 bn · 170th
- FDI inflows, 2025
- $76.6 bn
- GDP, 2025
- $4.00 tn
- Region · income
- Europe & Central Asia · High income
Regulatory openness (OECD FDIRRI)
OECD index data loading — see FDI openness
Sources: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (cat. 5352.0), 2025 release, released 2026-05-06 — levels at 31 December and calendar-year flows and income, A$ millions, immediate counterparty basis (investment routed via third economies is attributed to the intermediate economy). World Bank WDI (US$). OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index. np = not published for confidentiality; included in totalsPrepared independently by FDIstats from public statistics; not an Australian Government publication and not investment advice. For foreign investment rules, see the Treasury and FIRB.