Australia — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Australia, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Australia was 4.09% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 10.88% in 1993. The lowest was 3.67% in 2023 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.47% per year.
Australia ranks 119 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 64%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Australia sits above it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 62% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 32%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 11 of 29 economies; Malaysia (3.76%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 31% in 2009. That is 18% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 56th of 187 in 1991 → 103rd of 187 in 2000 → 117th of 187 in 2010 → 93rd of 187 in 2020 → 114th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.09% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 3.94% | +0.3 pp |
| 2023 | 3.67% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 3.73% | -1.3 pp |
| 2021 | 5.02% | -1.4 pp |
| 2020 | 6.39% | +1.3 pp |
| 2019 | 5.14% | -0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 5.35% | -0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 5.59% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 5.71% | -0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 6.06% | -0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 6.08% | +0.4 pp |
| 2013 | 5.66% | +0.4 pp |
| 2012 | 5.23% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 5.08% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 5.21% | -0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 5.57% | +1.3 pp |
| 2008 | 4.24% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 4.38% | -0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 4.79% | -0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 5.04% | -0.4 pp |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -0.5 pp |
| 2003 | 5.93% | -0.4 pp |
| 2002 | 6.38% | -0.4 pp |
| 2001 | 6.75% | +0.5 pp |
| 2000 | 6.29% | -0.6 pp |
| 1999 | 6.88% | -0.8 pp |
| 1998 | 7.68% | -0.7 pp |
| 1997 | 8.37% | -0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 8.51% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 8.47% | -1.3 pp |
| 1994 | 9.72% | -1.2 pp |
| 1993 | 10.88% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 10.73% | +1.1 pp |
| 1991 | 9.59% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Australia’s Unemployment in 1992?
10.73% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Australia’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -57.3% in total — about 2.5% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 4.09%; 2024: 3.94%; 2023: 3.67%; 2022: 3.73%; 2021: 5.02%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.