Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Australia
Australia: Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 635.74 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Australia, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Australia recorded 635.74 for unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.4% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Australia peaked at 864.78 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 528.88, in 2022.
That places Australia 17th out of 72 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 746.64 | — |
| 2015 | 758.26 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 725.14 | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 725.38 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 711.15 | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 698.76 | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 864.78 | +23.8% |
| 2021 | 692.78 | -19.9% |
| 2022 | 528.88 | -23.7% |
| 2023 | 537.79 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 591.88 | +10.1% |
| 2025 | 635.74 | +7.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 635.74 is above the median for high income countries, which is 169.05, 3.8× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Australia's 635.74 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 159.8, 4.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 727.56 | 698.76 | 758.26 | 6 |
| 2020s | 641.98 | 528.88 | 864.78 | 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 unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Australia?
- Unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Australia was 635.74 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 864.78 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 528.88 in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Australia ranks 17th out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.