Australia unemployment rate history

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Australia inflation rate history Australia consumer price index history Australia unemployment rate history Australia labour force participation rate history Australia GDP growth rate history Australia GDP history Australia exports history Australia imports history Australia trade balance history Canada unemployment rate history United Kingdom unemployment rate history Japan unemployment rate history United States unemployment rate history

Australia unemployment rate history: choose a year or date to look up past values. Preview the observations and download your selection.

4.6%August 2026Latest published observation

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History starts: February 1978
History ends: August 2026
Frequency: Monthly observations
Unit: Percent

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12 observations · January 1998 to December 1998

Selected historical observations
Date or period	Value · Percent	Source
January 1998	7.9%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
February 1998	7.8%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
March 1998	7.9%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
April 1998	7.6%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
May 1998	7.8%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
June 1998	7.8%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
July 1998	8.0%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
August 1998	7.8%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
September 1998	7.6%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
October 1998	7.3%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
November 1998	7.6%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
December 1998	7.2%	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

Australia unemployment rate history by year

Full history →

Australia unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2026 (to date)	4.4%	4.6%August 2026	4.1%January 2026	▲ +0.5
2025	4.2%	4.4%September 2025	4.1%April 2025	0.0
2024	4.0%	4.2%July 2024	3.7%February 2024	▼ −0.1
2023	3.7%	4.0%December 2023	3.5%June 2023	▲ +0.3
2022	3.7%	4.2%January 2022	3.4%October 2022	▼ −0.7
2021	5.1%	6.3%January 2021	4.2%December 2021	▼ −2.1
2020	6.5%	7.4%July 2020	5.1%February 2020	▲ +1.3
2019	5.2%	5.3%October 2019	5.0%February 2019	▼ −0.1
2018	5.3%	5.6%February 2018	5.0%October 2018	▼ −0.5
2017	5.6%	5.9%February 2017	5.4%October 2017	▼ −0.1
2016	5.7%	6.0%January 2016	5.6%October 2016	▼ −0.2
2015	6.1%	6.4%January 2015	5.7%December 2015	▼ −0.7
2014	6.1%	6.4%October 2014	5.8%April 2014	▲ +0.2
2013	5.7%	5.9%December 2013	5.4%January 2013	▲ +0.5
2012	5.2%	5.5%September 2012	5.0%April 2012	▲ +0.4
2011	5.1%	5.3%August 2011	4.9%June 2011	▲ +0.2
2010	5.2%	5.5%April 2010	4.9%December 2010	▼ −0.4
2009	5.6%	5.9%June 2009	4.9%January 2009	▲ +0.6
2008	4.2%	4.6%December 2008	4.0%February 2008	▲ +0.4
2007	4.4%	4.6%February 2007	4.2%September 2007	▼ −0.3

Show all

Australia unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2006	4.8%	5.2%January 2006	4.5%October 2006	▼ −0.6
2005	5.0%	5.2%March 2005	4.9%August 2005	0.0
2004	5.4%	5.6%February 2004	5.1%December 2004	▼ −0.4
2003	5.9%	6.1%March 2003	5.7%November 2003	▼ −0.4
2002	6.4%	6.9%January 2002	6.1%October 2002	▼ −0.7
2001	6.8%	7.2%October 2001	6.1%January 2001	▲ +0.8
2000	6.3%	6.8%January 2000	6.0%July 2000	▼ −0.6
1999	6.9%	7.1%January 1999	6.4%November 1999	▼ −0.4
1998	7.7%	8.0%July 1998	7.2%December 1998	▼ −0.7
1997	8.4%	8.7%February 1997	7.9%December 1997	▼ −0.7
1996	8.5%	8.8%October 1996	8.3%June 1996	▲ +0.1
1995	8.5%	8.9%January 1995	8.1%December 1995	▼ −0.8
1994	9.7%	10.6%January 1994	8.9%December 1994	▼ −1.7
1993	10.9%	11.0%February 1993	10.7%September 1993	0.0
1992	10.8%	11.2%December 1992	10.3%January 1992	▲ +0.9
1991	9.6%	10.5%December 1991	8.4%January 1991	▲ +2.1
1990	6.9%	8.0%December 1990	6.1%January 1990	▲ +1.9
1989	6.2%	6.8%January 1989	5.8%November 1989	▼ −1.0
1988	7.2%	7.9%April 1988	6.6%November 1988	▼ −0.8
1987	8.1%	8.4%March 1987	7.7%December 1987	▼ −0.5
1986	8.1%	8.4%December 1986	7.7%June 1986	▲ +0.6
1985	8.3%	8.7%March 1985	7.8%December 1985	▼ −0.8
1984	9.0%	9.5%January 1984	8.5%December 1984	▼ −1.0
1983	10.0%	10.5%July 1983	9.3%January 1983	▲ +0.2
1982	7.2%	9.4%December 1982	6.0%January 1982	▲ +3.4
1981	5.8%	6.0%December 1981	5.4%June 1981	▲ +0.1
1980	6.1%	6.3%June 1980	5.9%November 1980	0.0
1979	6.3%	6.5%April 1979	6.0%November 1979	▼ −0.3
1978	6.3%	6.6%February 1978	6.2%October 1978	▼ −0.2

How to read this

Rows keep their published observation periods. A date selects the observation whose period includes it. Monthly and quarterly figures are not daily prices. Missing periods stay missing. The CSV keeps the period and its end date.

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GET /v1/economics/AUS/unemployment/observations

Request published observations and follow next_cursor to read every page. Select the unemployment measure.

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Australia inflation rate historyChoose a year or dateView history →Australia consumer price index historyChoose a year or dateView history →Australia labour force participation rate historyChoose a year or dateView history →Australia GDP growth rate historyChoose a year or dateView history →

Common questions

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The CSV contains the selected published observations, their dates, values, units and source. Values are in Percent.

Why are some dates missing?

This series follows its publication frequency. Gaps are left empty, and no daily values are invented between observations.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS); API reference →
Series: Australia unemployment rate history; View chart →