Intangible assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018


	31 December 2018															31 December 2017
Million US dollar	Brands			Commercial intangibles			Software			Other			Total			Total
Acquisition cost
Balance at end of previous year		43 402			2 904			2 177			388			48 871			47 191
Effect of movements in foreign exchange		(1 482	)		(105	)		(137	)		(41	)		(1 765	)		1 286
Acquisitions through business combinations		—			22			—			2			24			417
Acquisitions and expenditures		2			367			73			226			668			312
Disposals		(25	)		(55	)		—			(16	)		(96	)		(191	)
Disposals through the sale of subsidiaries		(14	)		—			(29	)		(4	)		(47	)		—
Transfer (to)/from other asset categories and other movements¹		250			(184	)		608			136			810			(144	)

Balance at end of period		42 133			2 949			2 692			691			48 465			48 871
Amortization and impairment losses
Balance at end of previous year		(32	)		(1 379	)		(1 472	)		(114	)		(2 997	)		(2 401	)
Effect of movements in foreign exchange		—			73			84			7			164			(139	)
Amortization		—			(163	)		(251	)		(31	)		(445	)		(498	)
Disposals		—			45			(39	)		8			14			89
Disposals through the sale of subsidiaries		—			—			28			2			30			—
Transfer to/(from) other asset categories and other movements¹		—			(55	)		(352	)		7			(400	)		(48	)

Balance at end of period		(32	)		(1 479	)		(2 002	)		(121	)		(3 634	)		(2 997	)
Carrying value
at 31 December 2017		43 370			1 525			705			274			45 874			45 874
at 31 December 2018		42 101			1 470			690			570			44 831			—

Summary of Carrying Amount of Intangible Assets with Indefinite Useful Lives

The carrying amount of intangible assets with indefinite useful lives was allocated to the different countries as follows:


Million US dollar Country	2018		2017
United States		22 037		21 960
Colombia		3 516		3 820
South Africa		3 325		3 899
Mexico		3 068		3 058
Peru		2 720		2 825
Australia		2 422		2 773
South Korea		1 013		1 058
Ecuador		595		595
China		381		403
Dominican Republic		339		353
Rest of Africa		1 274		1 353
Other countries		1 745		1 498

Total carrying amount of intangible assets with indefinite useful lives		42 435		43 595

The transfer (to)/from other asset categories and other movements mainly relates to transfers from assets under construction to their respective asset categories, to contributions of assets to pension plans, to the separate presentation in the balance sheet of property, plant and equipment held for sale in accordance with IFRS 5 Non-current assets held for sale and discontinued operations and to the restatement of non-monetary assets under hyperinflation accounting in line with IAS 29 Financial reporting in hyperinflationary economies.