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Labor force — all countries

Labor force — Australia

Labor force in Australia in 2025 — 15,125,385 people. Ranked 42 in the world out of 182. Since 1990, the indicator has risen by 77.9%.

2025 15.13M people +1.47% vs 2024
World rank 42of 182
Period maximum 15.13M people2025
Period minimum 8.5M people1990

Trend over time

1990–2025 · people

Labor force — Australia, 1990–20258M10M12M14M16M19901994199820022006201020142018202220251990: 8,500,719 people1991: 8,539,975 people1992: 8,607,321 people1993: 8,638,153 people1994: 8,799,524 people1995: 8,996,098 people1996: 9,118,415 people1997: 9,179,631 people1998: 9,271,447 people1999: 9,358,682 people2000: 9,542,614 people2001: 9,713,101 people2002: 9,859,433 people2003: 10,032,150 people2004: 10,143,548 people2005: 10,443,456 people2006: 10,664,324 people2007: 10,951,719 people2008: 11,241,263 people2009: 11,482,552 people2010: 11,675,443 people2011: 11,857,590 people2012: 12,022,336 people2013: 12,191,663 people2014: 12,332,149 people2015: 12,568,796 people2016: 12,744,765 people2017: 13,022,869 people2018: 13,344,850 people2019: 13,618,789 people2020: 13,583,584 people2021: 13,859,964 people2022: 14,230,223 people2023: 14,646,578 people2024: 14,906,574 people2025: 15,125,385 people
Change over the period: +6.62M (+77.93%) Average annual rate: 1.66 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Australia

Australia 15.13M people
World 3.74B people
East Asia & Pacific 1.28B people
Australia and New Zealand computed 18.2M people
High-income countries computed 716M people
Labor force — Australia, by year Australia All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 15.13M +218,811 +1.47%
2024 14.91M +259,996 +1.78%
2023 14.65M +416,355 +2.93%
2022 14.23M +370,259 +2.67%
2021 13.86M +276,380 +2.03%
2020 13.58M −35,205 −0.26%
2019 13.62M +273,939 +2.05%
2018 13.34M +321,981 +2.47%
2017 13.02M +278,104 +2.18%
2016 12.74M +175,969 +1.4%
2015 12.57M +236,647 +1.92%
2014 12.33M +140,486 +1.15%
2013 12.19M +169,327 +1.41%
2012 12.02M +164,746 +1.39%
2011 11.86M +182,147 +1.56%
2010 11.68M +192,891 +1.68%
2009 11.48M +241,289 +2.15%
2008 11.24M +289,544 +2.64%
2007 10.95M +287,395 +2.69%
2006 10.66M +220,868 +2.11%
2005 10.44M +299,908 +2.96%
2004 10.14M +111,398 +1.11%
2003 10.03M +172,717 +1.75%
2002 9.86M +146,332 +1.51%
2001 9.71M +170,487 +1.79%
2000 9.54M +183,932 +1.97%
1999 9.36M +87,235 +0.94%
1998 9.27M +91,816 +1%
1997 9.18M +61,216 +0.67%
1996 9.12M +122,317 +1.36%
1995 9M +196,574 +2.23%
1994 8.8M +161,371 +1.87%
1993 8.64M +30,832 +0.36%
1992 8.61M +67,346 +0.79%
1991 8.54M +39,256 +0.46%
1990 8.5M — —

Australia and New Zealand, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

AU Australia 15.13M NZ New Zealand 3.08M
Full table for all countries

About the indicator

The economically active population — everyone aged 15 and over who either works or actively looks for work. It covers the employed, the unemployed and first-time job seekers; it leaves out students, homemakers and other people who do not offer their labor on the market. The size of the labor force is the basic constraint on the growth potential of an economy.

Source: ILOSTAT (ILO), license CC BY 4.0.

Other indicators for Australia

Labor Labor productivity

How much output one employed person creates in a year — in constant PPP dollars.

Australia by year Labor Female share of the labor force

What part of the labor force of a country is made up of women.

Australia by year Labor Labor force participation rate

What share of the population aged 15 and over works or looks for work.

Australia by year Labor Employment-to-population ratio

The share of the population aged 15 and over that actually works.

Australia by year
All indicators for Australia