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Story: Balance of payments

Current account as a percentage of GDP

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One accepted standard of the sustainability of a current-account deficit is its value relative to the country’s total level of production, measured as gross domestic product (GDP). This graph suggests that since 1995 the deficit has fairly often been more than 6% of GDP, especially since 2005. Some critics have suggested that 6% is at the top range of a sustainable current-account-to-GDP ratio.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand

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How to cite this page

C. John McDermott and Rishab Sethi, Balance of payments – Sustainable current accounts, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/23971/current-account-as-a-percentage-of-gdp (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by C. John McDermott and Rishab Sethi, published 12 April 2010.