Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in Australia
Australia: Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) was 15,244 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Australia, 2001–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Australia stood at 15,244. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 21.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Australia peaked at 15,244 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9,716, in 2001.
That places Australia 17th out of 77 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 9,716 | — |
| 2002 | 9,852 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 9,995 | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 10,213 | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 10,458 | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 10,709 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 10,976 | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 11,334 | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 11,512 | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 11,715 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 11,847 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 12,018 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 12,158 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 12,321 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 12,514 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 12,590 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 12,965 | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 13,304 | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 13,586 | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 13,526 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 13,794 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 14,186 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 14,662 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 15,014 | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 15,244 | +1.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 15,244 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,307, 4.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Australia's 15,244 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,190, 7.0× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10,529 | 9,716 | 11,512 | 9 |
| 2010s | 12,502 | 11,715 | 13,586 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,404 | 13,526 | 15,244 | 6 |
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 labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Australia?
- Labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Australia was 15,244 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 15,244 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 9,716 in 2001.
- How does Australia rank for labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- Australia ranks 17th out of 77 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.