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The numbers

Unemployment

How many Australians who want work cannot find it, and how that compares with the countries Australia is usually measured against.

27 September 2026Last checked

Australia now

4.6%

Of everyone in work or looking for it, the share without work in August 2026. A year before, 4.2%.

Monthly, seasonally adjusted. Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Show the figures
PeriodRate
Aug 20264.6%
Jul 20264.5%
Jun 20264.4%
May 20264.4%
Apr 20264.5%
Mar 20264.3%
Feb 20264.3%
Jan 20264.1%
Dec 20254.1%
Nov 20254.3%
Oct 20254.3%
Sep 20254.4%
Aug 20254.2%
Jul 20254.3%
Jun 20254.3%
May 20254.1%
Apr 20254.1%
Mar 20254.1%
Feb 20254.1%
Jan 20254.1%
Dec 20244.0%
Nov 20243.9%
Oct 20244.1%
Sep 20244.0%
Aug 20244.1%
Jul 20244.2%
Jun 20244.1%
May 20244.0%
Apr 20244.1%
Mar 20243.9%
Feb 20243.7%
Jan 20244.1%
Dec 20234.0%
Nov 20233.9%
Oct 20233.8%
Sep 20233.6%
Aug 20233.7%
Jul 20233.7%
Jun 20233.5%
May 20233.6%
Apr 20233.7%
Mar 20233.6%
Feb 20233.6%
Jan 20233.7%
Dec 20223.5%
Nov 20223.5%
Oct 20223.4%
Sep 20223.6%
Aug 20223.5%
Jul 20223.5%
Jun 20223.6%
May 20224.0%
Apr 20223.9%
Mar 20224.0%
Feb 20224.0%
Jan 20224.2%
Dec 20214.2%
Nov 20214.6%
Oct 20215.2%
Sep 20214.7%
Aug 20214.6%
Jul 20214.7%
Jun 20215.0%
May 20215.1%
Apr 20215.5%
Mar 20215.7%
Feb 20215.9%
Jan 20216.3%
Dec 20206.6%
Nov 20206.8%
Oct 20206.9%
Sep 20206.9%
Aug 20206.8%
Jul 20207.4%
Jun 20207.4%
May 20207.0%
Apr 20206.3%
Mar 20205.2%
Feb 20205.1%
Jan 20205.3%
Dec 20195.0%
Nov 20195.2%
Oct 20195.3%
Sep 20195.2%
Aug 20195.3%
Jul 20195.3%
Jun 20195.3%
May 20195.2%
Apr 20195.2%
Mar 20195.1%
Feb 20195.0%
Jan 20195.1%

Australia against 45 other countries

2025, the latest year the World Bank has for all 46. Australia’s 4.1% is 33rd highest of the 46. The dashed line is the median, 5.2%. South Africa runs off the scale, broken, with the figure beside it. The figure is 2025's average across the year, so it is not the August 2026 figure above. The figures are the ILO's modelled estimates, which fill any year a country has not reported.

  1. South Africa32.4%
  2. Spain10.4%
  3. Finland9.5%
  4. Chile9.0%
  5. Sweden8.7%
  6. Greece8.5%
  7. Türkiye8.5%
  8. Estonia8.3%
  9. Colombia8.3%
  10. France7.5%
  11. Argentina7.1%
  12. Canada6.9%
  13. Costa Rica6.8%
  14. Lithuania6.7%
  15. Latvia6.6%
  16. Italy6.4%
  17. Luxembourg6.3%
  18. Portugal6.2%
  19. Brazil6.0%
  20. Belgium5.9%
  21. Austria5.6%
  22. Denmark5.5%
  23. Slovakia5.4%
  24. New Zealand5.1%
  25. Switzerland4.9%
  26. United Kingdom4.7%
  27. Norway4.6%
  28. Ireland4.6%
  29. China4.6%
  30. Hungary4.5%
  31. India4.2%
  32. United States4.2%
  33. Australia4.1%
  34. Netherlands3.9%
  35. Germany3.7%
  36. Iceland3.6%
  37. Israel3.5%
  38. Indonesia3.2%
  39. Slovenia3.2%
  40. Saudi Arabia3.0%
  41. Poland3.0%
  42. Czechia2.8%
  43. Singapore2.8%
  44. South Korea2.7%
  45. Mexico2.7%
  46. Japan2.5%
Annual. World Bank, updated 13 July 2026.

How it is measured

What it is
People without work who are available and looking for it, as a share of everyone in work or looking.
Australia's figure
The ABS's monthly Labour Force survey, seasonally adjusted, published about two and a half weeks after each month ends.
The comparison
The International Labour Organization's modelled estimate, published by the World Bank. It starts from each country's own labour force survey and estimates a year the country has not reported, so all 46 are measured the same way.
The countries
The 38 members of the OECD, seven more G20 economies (Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa), and Singapore. The same 46 on every page.
When it changes
Australia's figure every time the ABS publishes. The comparison once a year, when the World Bank has a year that all 46 countries have reported.

All the numbers