Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits in Australia
Australia: Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits was 1.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits in Australia, 1980–2022
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, female employment vs. public spending on family benefits in Australia stood at 1.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment vs. public spending on family benefits in Australia peaked at 3.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1980.
That places Australia 23rd out of 41 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.9% | — |
| 1981 | 1.0% | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 1.2% | +18.3% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | -8.8% |
| 1987 | 1.2% | +18.4% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 1.8% | +17.7% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | +13.8% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +9.0% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | +17.6% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +8.6% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 3.2% | +14.4% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | -10.1% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | +34.5% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | -18.6% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 2.4% | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | -16.7% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | -5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 female employment vs. public spending on family benefits in Australia?
- Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits in Australia was 1.9% in 2022, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment vs. public spending on family benefits recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest female employment vs. public spending on family benefits recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for female employment vs. public spending on family benefits?
- Australia ranks 23rd out of 41 countries with data for 2022.
- Is female employment vs. public spending on family benefits rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in family programs.