Key graphs - current account balance

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The Balance of Payments statements set out a country's transactions with the rest of the world. The current account balance is the sum of the balances of trade in goods and services, current transfers, and investment income. More simply, the current account measures what a country saves minus what it spends or invests. The graph shows that since 1990, New Zealand has been a net borrower. Thus, the current account deficit has reflected the amounts of other countries' savings that New Zealand has had to borrow, in order to finance spending. The last time that New Zealand was a net saver - that is, had a current account surplus - was 1973. Data from 1970 is available in Excel by selecting the download data link.   Last updated 3 July 2008