The line chart illustrates the proportion of Australians exported to four countries: Japan, the United States, China, and India between 1990 and 2012.
Overall, the data reveal a significant downward trajectory for Japan, and the United States exports, while the opposite was true in the case of China and India. Additionally, surpassing Japanese exports, China became the dominant destination for Australian goods in the final years.
In 1990, Australian exports were predominantly directed towards Japan, accounting for 25% of the total. After that, this figure dropped gradually to 18% in 1995, before remaining relatively stable during the rest of the period. Similarly, approximately 12% were observed in exports to the United States in 1990, with a subsequent decrease to 7% in 1995. The percentage experienced a recovery in 2002, reaching around 13%, followed by a gradual decline to approximately 5% at the end of the period.
In contrast, exports to China witnessed a substantial rise from only 3% initially to just under 30% in 2012, overtaking Japan three years before becoming Australia’s largest goods export market. A similar pattern, but to a lesser extent, was observed in India’s imports of Australian goods. The proportion began at the lowest position among the four countries (only 3%), before increasing gradually during a decade to approximately 8% in 2009, then falling slightly to 5% at the end of the timeframe.