Balance of payments

In international economics, the balance of payments (also known as balance of international payments and abbreviated BOP or BoP) of a country is the difference between all money flowing into the country in a particular period of time (e.g., a quarter or a year) and the outflow of money to the rest of the world. In other words, it is economic transactions between countries during a period of time. These financial transactions are made by individuals, firms and government bodies to compare receipts and payments arising out of trade of goods and services.

The balance of payments consists of three primary components: the current account, the financial account, and the capital account. The current account reflects a country's net income, while the financial account reflects the net change in ownership of national assets. The capital account reflects a part that has little impact on the total, and represents the sum of unilateral capital account transfers, and the acquisitions and sales of non-financial and non-produced assets.