Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force in Australia

Australia: Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force was 15.20 million Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
15.20 million Persons
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
17th
of 46 countries
All-time high
15.20 million Persons
in 2025
All-time low
8.95 million Persons
in 1995
Years of data
31
1995–2025

Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force in Australia, 1995–2025

05.0M10.0M15.0M1995201020251995: 8.9M Persons1996: 9.1M Persons1997: 9.1M Persons1998: 9.2M Persons1999: 9.3M Persons2000: 9.5M Persons2001: 9.7M Persons2002: 9.8M Persons2003: 10.0M Persons2004: 10.1M Persons2005: 10.4M Persons2006: 10.6M Persons2007: 10.9M Persons2008: 11.2M Persons2009: 11.4M Persons2010: 11.6M Persons2011: 11.8M Persons2012: 12.0M Persons2013: 12.1M Persons2014: 12.3M Persons2015: 12.5M Persons2016: 12.7M Persons2017: 12.9M Persons2018: 13.2M Persons2019: 13.5M Persons2020: 13.5M Persons2021: 13.7M Persons2022: 14.1M Persons2023: 14.6M Persons2024: 15.0M Persons2025: 15.2M Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

In 2025, labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in Australia stood at 15.20 million Persons. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in Australia peaked at 15.20 million Persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.95 million Persons, in 1995.

That places Australia 17th out of 46 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9.14 million Persons 8.95 million Persons 9.31 million Persons 5
2000s 10.37 million Persons 9.50 million Persons 11.44 million Persons 10
2010s 12.48 million Persons 11.63 million Persons 13.53 million Persons 10
2020s 14.33 million Persons 13.47 million Persons 15.20 million Persons 6

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 14 South Africa 20.22 million Persons compare
  2. 15 Peru 18.16 million Persons compare
  3. 16 Poland 17.80 million Persons compare
  4. 18 Netherlands 10.30 million Persons compare
  5. 19 Chile 9.09 million Persons compare
  6. 20 Romania 8.19 million Persons compare

See the full ranking of 54 places →

More work & labour data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in Australia?
Labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in Australia was 15.20 million Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest labour indicators levels - regions — labour force recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 15.20 million Persons in 2025.
What is the lowest labour indicators levels - regions — labour force recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 8.95 million Persons in 1995.
How does Australia rank for labour indicators levels - regions — labour force?
Australia ranks 17th out of 46 countries with data for 2025.
Is labour indicators levels - regions — labour force rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-indicators-levels-regions-labour-force/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
54 places, 1,323 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed

<p>This dataset presents indicators on the size of the labour force, employment, and unemployment in large regions (TL2) and, where available, in small regions (TL3).</p> <p><strong>Data definition and source</strong></p> <p>The labour force status is presented by sex, for 15-64 year-olds and 15+ year-olds age ranges, the latter having less country coverage. Data is based on a labour force survey using ILO guidelines and collected from Eurostat (reg_lmk) for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites.</p> <p><strong>Definition of regions</strong></p> <p>Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD_territorial-grid_TL2024.pdf">(pdf)</a> and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD%20Territorial%20correspondence%20-%20TL2024c.xlsx">(xlsx)</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Cite this dataset</strong></p> <p>OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database&nbsp;<a href="http://oe.cd/geostats">http://oe.cd/geostats</a>.</p> <p><strong>Further information</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://regions-cities-atlas.oecd.org/">OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas</a>&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-regions-and-cities-at-a-glance-2024_f42db3bf-en.html">OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance</a></li> </ul> <p>For questions and/or comments, please email <a href="mailto:RegionStat@oecd.org">RegionStat@oecd.org</a>.</p>