Population by labor force status in Australia

Australia: Population by labor force status was 4.77 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
4.77 million people
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
73rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
4.78 million people
in 2021
All-time low
3.80 million people
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status in Australia, 1991–2025

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M1991200820251991: 3.8M people1992: 3.8M people1993: 3.9M people1994: 3.9M people1995: 3.9M people1996: 3.9M people1997: 3.9M people1998: 3.9M people1999: 4.0M people2000: 4.0M people2001: 4.0M people2002: 4.0M people2003: 4.0M people2004: 4.0M people2005: 4.0M people2006: 4.0M people2007: 4.1M people2008: 4.1M people2009: 4.2M people2010: 4.2M people2011: 4.3M people2012: 4.3M people2013: 4.4M people2014: 4.5M people2015: 4.5M people2016: 4.6M people2017: 4.7M people2018: 4.7M people2019: 4.8M people2020: 4.8M people2021: 4.8M people2022: 4.8M people2023: 4.8M people2024: 4.8M people2025: 4.8M people

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2025, population by labor force status in Australia stood at 4.77 million people.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Australia peaked at 4.78 million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.80 million people, in 1991.

That places Australia 73rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.89 million people 3.80 million people 3.96 million people 9
2000s 4.04 million people 3.97 million people 4.18 million people 10
2010s 4.49 million people 4.22 million people 4.76 million people 10
2020s 4.77 million people 4.77 million people 4.78 million people 6

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 70 Cambodia 5.26 million people compare
  2. 71 Sri Lanka 5.04 million people compare
  3. 72 North Korea 5.03 million people compare
  4. 74 South Sudan 4.58 million people compare
  5. 75 Ecuador 4.37 million people compare
  6. 76 Tajikistan 3.87 million people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status in Australia?
Population by labor force status in Australia was 4.77 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 4.78 million people in 2021.
What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 3.80 million people in 1991.
How does Australia rank for population by labor force status?
Australia ranks 73rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Population below working age (under 15 years old).