Unemployed population — Unemployment in Australia

Australia: Unemployed population — Unemployment was 639.31 Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
639.31 Persons
Change on year
up 6.6%
World rank
16th
of 35 countries
All-time high
933.75 Persons
in 1993
All-time low
60.7 Persons
in 1965
Years of data
61
1964–2025

Unemployed population — Unemployment in Australia, 1964–2025

02004006008001.0k196419942025

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

Analysis

Australia recorded 639.31 Persons for unemployed population — unemployment in 2025.

The figure is up 6.6% on the previous year and down 15.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployed population — unemployment in Australia peaked at 933.75 Persons in 1993 and was at its lowest, 60.7 Persons, in 1965.

That places Australia 16th out of 35 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 80.83 Persons 60.7 Persons 96.12 Persons 6
1970s 223.65 Persons 90.58 Persons 408.41 Persons 9
1980s 556.48 Persons 393.88 Persons 697.04 Persons 10
1990s 773.99 Persons 584.8 Persons 933.75 Persons 10
2000s 563.12 Persons 474.46 Persons 651.76 Persons 10
2010s 687.62 Persons 600.28 Persons 758.26 Persons 10
2020s 645.26 Persons 524.55 Persons 867.12 Persons 6

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 13 Canada 1,539 Persons compare
  2. 14 Brazil 1,176 Persons compare
  3. 15 Chile 877.3 Persons compare
  4. 17 Sweden 510.35 Persons compare
  5. 18 Romania 500.27 Persons compare
  6. 19 Greece 421.98 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 48 places →

More work & labour data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployed population — unemployment in Australia?
Unemployed population — unemployment in Australia was 639.31 Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest unemployed population — unemployment recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 933.75 Persons in 1993.
What is the lowest unemployed population — unemployment recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 60.7 Persons in 1965.
How does Australia rank for unemployed population — unemployment?
Australia ranks 16th out of 35 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployed population — unemployment rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. 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 Unemployed population — Unemployment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Unemployed population — Unemployment in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployed-population-unemployment/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployed population — Unemployment
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
48 places, 2,160 data points, 1955–2025
Last refreshed

The infra-annual dataflow on the unemployed population is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the unemployed population by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated statistical methodological information and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected other economies. Chile, Costa Rica, and the United Kingdom publish Labour Force Survey (LFS) data using a rolling quarter methodology. The OECD treats the middle month of the rolling quarter as the reference month. As a result, the publication of monthly LFS data for these countries may be delayed by one month or more relative to the OECD reference month. The unemployed are persons in their working age who, in the reference period, do not have a job; are available for work; and, have taken specific steps to find a job. The infra-annual labour statistics compiled for all OECD member countries, are drawn from Labour Force Surveys based on definition provided by the 19th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013. The uniform application of these definitions across all OECD member countries results in estimates that are internationally comparable.