The Northern Territory (NT) is geographically located close to major Asian economies including Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea and Indonesia and, as expected, these are the NT’s major trading partners. The NT also relies on goods imports from the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU), which are also identified as key trading partners. In this section, analysis on the NT's major trading partners is provided by financial year, for both exports and imports.
Japan | China | Singapore | Republic of Korea | Taiwan | Thailand | Indonesia | Papua New Guinea | Malaysia | European Union | India | Vietnam | United States of America | Canada
2022-23 Activity
Please note that some of the main items of trade have been confidentialised by the ABS due to sensitivity of specific commodities and limited sources of goods and merchandise, which makes suppliers easily identifiable.
Map 1: The Territory’s Major Goods Trading Partners, 2022-231, 2
Japan
- Japan was the NT’s largest export market, with exports increasing 2.5% to $7.7 billion, reflecting increases in other exports (likely LPG and condensate).
- Imported goods decreased 6.0% to $141 million, due to a decrease in metallic tubing and road vehicles.
China
- China was the NT’s third largest export market with exports decreasing 14.4% to $2.0 billion, driven by decreases in confidential items (likely liquefied natural gas).
- Imported goods increased by 5.8% to $145 million, due to an increase in metallic manufactures and machinery.
Singapore
- Goods exported to Singapore decreased by 41.7% to $1.1 billion, due to a decrease in confidential items (likely LNG).
- Goods imported decreased by 51.5% to $157 million, due to decreases in petroleum, petroleum-related products and confidential items.
Republic of Korea
- Goods exported to the Republic of Korea rose 16.2% to $1.5 billion, driven by an increase in petroleum.
- Goods imported rose 59.1% to $740 million, due to increases in petroleum and petroleum-related products.
Taiwan
- Taiwan was the Territory’s second largest export market with goods exported to Taiwan increasing by 36.2% to $2.0 billion, reflecting an increase in confidential items (likely LNG).
- Goods imported decreased by 13.3% to $150 million, due to decreases in inorganic chemicals and transport equipment.
Thailand
- Goods exported to Thailand decreased by 43.3% to $449 million, reflecting a decrease in confidential items (likely LNG).
- Goods imported increased by 22.4% to $131 million, reflecting an increase in road vehicles.
Indonesia
- Goods exported to Indonesia decreased by 8.3% to $510 million, driven by a decrease in confidential items (likely LNG) and live animals.
- Goods imported increased from $9 million to $16 million, due to an increase in other imports.
Papua New Guinea
- Goods exported to Papua New Guinea decreased 82.5% to $96 million, reflecting a decrease in confidential items (likely LNG).
Malaysia
- Goods exported to Malaysia increased 11.1% to $160 million, reflecting an increase in other exports likely condensate.
- Goods imported rose by 45.3% to $279 million, reflecting an increase in petroleum and petroleum‑related products.
European Union
The EU consists of 27 member states, Austria, Belgium (including Belgium Luxembourg), Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (including the French Antilles), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands (including the Netherlands Antilles), Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
- Goods exported to the EU fell by 29.4% to $132 million, reflecting a decrease in metalliferous ores and metal scrap.
- Goods imported rose 8.2% to $92 million, reflecting increases in transport equipment.
India
- Goods exported to India fell 64.9% to $67 million, reflecting a decrease in confidential items (likely LNG).
- Goods imported decreased by 15.4% to $11 million.
Vietnam
- Goods exported to Vietnam fell by 35.0% to $67 million, reflecting a decrease in confidential items (likely LNG) and live animal exports.
- Goods imported increased from $10 million to $15 million, reflecting an increase in other transport equipment and construction materials.
United States of America
- Goods exported to the USA increased from $6 million to $15 million, reflecting an increase in machinery and transport equipment as well as associated equipment.
- Goods imported rose by 42.6% to $97 million, reflecting an increase in specialised machinery and confidential items.
Canada
- Goods exported to Canada increased by 134.5% to $68 million, due to increases in metalliferous ores (likely manganese ore).
- Imported goods from Canada rose from $1 million to $10 million, reflecting an increase in imports for metals.