Australia vs United States: Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates
Australia
4.2%
in 2025
United States
4.3%
in 2025
Australia rank
121st
United States rank
119th
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates over time
- Australia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 4.3% against 4.2% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 47 shared years of data; in 1979 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 121st and United States ranks 119th of 185 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.3% | 5.8% | 0.5% | Australia |
| 1980s | 7.6% | 7.3% | 0.3% | Australia |
| 1990s | 8.8% | 5.8% | 3.0% | Australia |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 5.5% | 0.1% | United States |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 6.2% | 0.7% | United States |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.8% | 0.3% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates, Australia or United States?
- United States, at 4.3% against 4.2% in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates between Australia and United States?
- 0.1%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2025.
- How do Australia and United States rank globally for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates?
- Australia ranks 121st and United States ranks 119th of 185 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.