Australia Exports About $16 Billion in Halal Goods, Report Finds

Australia’s Islamic economy now reaches past halal food exports into pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, tourism and finance, according to Salaam Gateway’s coverage of a joint report that Salaam and DinarStandard launched in Sydney on Monday, August 3, 2026. The report, titled “The State and Future of the Australian Islamic Economy,” was produced by Salaam and DinarStandard, with Salaam Gateway acting as media partner, though one Salaam Gateway article describes the report as jointly produced by all three.

Domestic Muslim spending in Australia is nearing $9 billion this year, according to FoodProcessing.com.au. Halal pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have expanded at close to double the global growth rate over the past half-decade, according to Salaam Gateway, the report’s media partner, and The Islamic Information reports that pharmaceuticals, health supplements and cosmetics are the fastest-growing halal industries in the country, even as food is still the biggest slice of Australia’s Islamic economy.

A market broadening beyond food

Salaam Gateway described the shift as moving the country’s Islamic economy beyond food exports into a meaningful part of both domestic commerce and Australia’s trade ambitions abroad, per its August 4 coverage of the launch. A second Salaam Gateway article listed halal manufacturing, Islamic finance, tourism, technology and professional services among the sectors the report examines.

Wheat and meat lead the named export categories

FoodProcessing.com.au, an Australian food-manufacturing trade outlet, carried the report’s numeric core. The outlet reported Australia as the 12th largest global halal supplier, with halal goods exports of roughly $16 billion and food representing 97% of that value. It separately put halal food exports to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation markets at $12.1 billion. That $12.1 billion figure is a food-only total for OIC destinations, and it’s stated separately from the all-goods figure. Wheat led the individual export categories at $3.0 billion, followed by sheep and goat meat at $1.64 billion and dried legumes at $1.49 billion, per the outlet’s reporting.

Mas Harris, Head of Investments and Product at Salaam, spoke to the domestic side of the market. “The halal food industry in Australia has grown by almost 30% over the last 5 years and with more than one million Muslims in Australia, the sector is now a measurable and expanding component of the national economy,” Harris said, according to FoodProcessing.com.au. “The data shows a defined, growing consumer market that spans food, travel, fashion, media and finance,” he added. He also said: “There is clear momentum and the opportunity is measurable. What happens next depends on policy alignment and industry coordination.”

Travel is the fastest-growing category in the report

Shafaqna English carried Harris’s characterization of that segment: “Australia’s Islamic economy is expanding rapidly into travel and tourism, with Islamic travel – Muslim travelers to Australia – spending projected to reach $1.7 billion by 2028, growing at an estimated 8.7% compound annual rate, the fastest growth of any other category analysed in this report.” The number isn’t spending already recorded; Shafaqna English reported it as inbound spending by Muslim visitors to Australia, projected out to 2028. That coverage drew in part on Australasian Leisure Management Magazine’s reporting on the tourism findings, published the same week.

Certification inconsistency and a broader forecast

The Islamic Information, reporting separately on the launch, said Australia’s halal economy is projected to pass A$10 billion. It’s a forecast rather than a present-day measurement. The outlet also cited the global Islamic economy at an estimated US$5 trillion, and reported that multiple certifying bodies create inconsistency across Australia’s halal certification system.

Also quoted in the same coverage, Dean Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer of the Islamic Finance and Investment Association, said: “Australia’s Islamic economy has become an increasingly significant contributor to both domestic business activity and international trade.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How big are Australia’s halal goods exports?

Australia exports about $16 billion in halal goods and ranks as the 12th largest global halal supplier, according to FoodProcessing.com.au. Food accounts for 97% of that export value. The outlet also reported $12.1 billion of halal food shipments into OIC markets.

What is Australia’s top halal export product?

Wheat is the leading category at $3.0 billion, according to FoodProcessing.com.au, ahead of sheep and goat meat at $1.64 billion and dried legumes at $1.49 billion.

How much do Australian Muslims spend domestically?

Domestic Muslim spending in Australia is nearing $9 billion this year, according to FoodProcessing.com.au, which described the report as a release from Salaam and DinarStandard.

How fast is Muslim tourism to Australia growing?

Shafaqna English reported a projection of $1.7 billion in Islamic travel spending to Australia by 2028, expanding at an estimated 8.7% compound annual growth rate.

What did the report say about Australia’s halal certification system?

Multiple certifying bodies operate across Australia’s halal system, producing inconsistency, according to The Islamic Information’s coverage of the report’s findings.