Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Australia
Australia: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) was 64.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
64.1%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
48th
of 178 countries
All-time high
64.7%
in 2023
All-time low
54.4%
in 1983
Years of data
47
1979–2025
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Australia, 1979–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Australia is 64.1%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Australia peaked at 64.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 54.4%, in 1983.
Australia ranks 48th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 57.0% | — |
| 1980 | 57.6% | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 57.6% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 56.4% | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 54.4% | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 55.1% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 55.8% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 56.9% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 56.9% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 57.9% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 59.3% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 59.3% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 57.1% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 56.1% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 55.7% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 56.8% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 58.2% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 58.1% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 57.8% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 58.2% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 58.5% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 59.2% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 59.0% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 59.3% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 59.8% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 60.0% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 61.2% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 61.7% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 62.3% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 62.7% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 61.8% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 62.0% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 62.1% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 61.7% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 61.3% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 60.8% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 61.1% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 61.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 61.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 62.2% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 62.7% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 60.8% | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 62.7% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 64.4% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 64.7% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 64.4% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 64.1% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.0% | 57.0% | 57.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 56.8% | 54.4% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.6% | 55.7% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.7% | 59.0% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.6% | 60.8% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.5% | 60.8% | 64.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 45 Lao People's Democratic Republic 65.2% compare
- 46 Kenya 64.9% compare
- 47 Jamaica 64.4% compare
- 49 Switzerland 64.1% compare
- 50 Saint Lucia 63.6% compare
- 51 Belize 63.4% compare
More work & labour data for Australia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4907 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5202 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9895 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8931 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 30,186 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3,001 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,642 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 21,502 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 43,144 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Australia?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) in Australia was 64.1% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 64.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.4% in 1983.
- How does Australia rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%)?
- Australia ranks 48th out of 178 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.