Australia vs United States: Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19)
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) over time
- Australia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 4.28 against 4.17 in Australia, a difference of 0.11.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 12 shared years of data; in 2014 it was United States ahead.
Australia ranks 50th and United States ranks 49th of 74 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.66 | 4.71 | 0.95 | Australia |
| 2020s | 4.49 | 4.83 | 0.3452 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19), Australia or United States?
- United States, at 4.28 against 4.17 in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) between Australia and United States?
- 0.11, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 2014 to 2025.
- How do Australia and United States rank globally for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Australia ranks 50th and United States ranks 49th of 74 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.