Year over year, Oceania’s exports accelerated in value by 32.6% compared to $306.8 billion during 2020.
In comparison, global exports from all countries worldwide equaled $21.953 trillion in 2021, expanding 25% in value since 2017 and rising 25.5% year over year. Putting that latest trade metrics into perspective, Oceanian exports represent an estimated 1.9% of the overall dollar value of the world’s exported products.
Oceania is a geographic region comprised of many islands mostly sprinkled over the southern Pacific Ocean. Some people assume that Oceania is limited to Australia and New Zealand, but those are just two Oceanian island nations. Admittedly, Australia and New Zealand is top of mind for many importers when searching for internationally sold products.
Based on statistics from the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook Database, the total Gross Domestic Product for Oceanian countries (where statistics are available) equals $1.740 trillion for 2021. Therefore, exported goods represent 23.4% of Oceania’s total economic output for 2021 in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars.
Given Oceania’s population of about 43.1 million people in 2021, its $406.9 billion worth of 2021 exports translates to roughly $9,700 for every person living in this South Pacific collection of islands.
Top Oceanian Export Countries
Below are the top Oceanian export countries that attained the highest dollar value in global shipments during 2021. Also shown is each country’s overall share of Oceanian exports and its change in value from 2017 to 2021.
| Rank | Exporter | Exports (US$) | %Total | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Australia | $345,599,938,000 | 84.9% | +35.8% |
| 2. | New Zealand | $43,361,858,000 | 10.7% | +15.7% |
| 3. | Papua New Guinea | $11,905,299,000 | 2.9% | +19.6% |
| 4. | New Caledonia | $2,044,175,000 | 0.5% | +7.8% |
| 5. | Marshall Islands | $1,335,398,000 | 0.3% | +69.8% |
| 6. | Fiji | $815,880,000 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 7. | Solomon Islands | $532,691,000 | 0.1% | -2.4% |
| 8. | Vanuatu | $285,094,000 | 0.1% | +34.9% |
| 9. | Nauru | $209,623,000 | 0.05% | +87.8% |
| 10. | Micronesia | $200,560,000 | 0.05% | +52.8% |
| 11. | French Polynesia | $172,965,000 | 0.04% | +114.5% |
| 12. | Tuvalu | $154,789,000 | 0.04% | +1014% |
| 13. | Kiribati | $102,725,000 | 0.03% | +1008% |
| 14. | Cook Islands | $31,996,000 | 0.01% | +11% |
| 15. | Samoa | $28,992,000 | 0.01% | -22.5% |
| 16. | Tokelau | $28,169,000 | 0.01% | -36.1% |
| 17. | Tonga | $15,860,000 | 0.00% | +37.5% |
| 18. | Christmas Island | $14,253,000 | 0.00% | -8.6% |
| 19. | Cocos (Keeling) Islands | $8,866,000 | 0.002% | +76.1% |
| 20. | Niue | $7,671,000 | 0.002% | -90.4% |
| 21. | Pitcairn | $6,243,000 | 0.002% | +85.1% |
| 22. | Palau | $5,707,000 | 0.001% | -62.8% |
| 23. | Northern Mariana Islands | $3,491,000 | 0.001% | -56.7% |
| 24. | Guam | $3,258,000 | 0.001% | +329.8% |
| 25. | Norfolk Island | $2,417,000 | 0.001% | -4.4% |
| 26. | American Samoa | $1,624,000 | 0.0004% | -50.6% |
| 27. | Wallis/Futuna Islands | $514,000 | 0.0001% | -69.6% |
Combined, Oceania’s leading suppliers Australia and New Zealand account for 95.6% of the value for all goods originating from the Oceanian continent.
The fastest-growing exporters in Oceania from 2020 to 2021 were tinier island countries Tuvalu (up 1,014%), Kiribati (up 1,008%), Guam (up 329.8%) and French Polynesia (up 114.5%).
See also Australia’s Top 10 Exports, New Zealand’s Top 10 Exports, Australia’s Top 10 Imports and New Zealand’s Top 10 Imports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports and World Population. Accessed on September 27, 2022
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on September 27, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 27, 2022
Wikipedia, Oceanian countries by population. Accessed on September 27, 2022
Worldometers, Oceanian population. Accessed on September 27, 2022
