Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation in Australia

Australia: Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation was 2.34 in 2026. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2026)
2.34
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
18th
of 28 countries
All-time high
15.42
in 1974
All-time low
-0.3195
in 1962
Years of data
66
1961–2026

Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation in Australia, 1961–2026

051015196119932026

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Analysis

Australia recorded 2.34 for economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation in 2026.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 83.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation in Australia peaked at 15.42 in 1974 and was at its lowest, -0.3195, in 1962.

That places Australia 18th out of 28 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation in Australia, 1961 to 2026.
Year Value Change
1961 2.29
1962 -0.3195 -114.0%
1963 0.641 -300.6%
1964 2.87 +347.1%
1965 3.41 +18.8%
1966 3.29 -3.3%
1967 3.48 +5.6%
1968 2.52 -27.5%
1969 3.28 +30.1%
1970 3.44 +4.9%
1971 6.14 +78.5%
1972 6.02 -1.9%
1973 9.09 +50.9%
1974 15.42 +69.6%
1975 15.16 -1.6%
1976 13.32 -12.1%
1977 12.31 -7.6%
1978 8 -35.0%
1979 9.12 +14.0%
1980 10.14 +11.1%
1981 9.49 -6.4%
1982 11.35 +19.6%
1983 10.04 -11.6%
1984 3.96 -60.5%
1985 6.73 +70.1%
1986 9.09 +35.0%
1987 8.49 -6.6%
1988 7.21 -15.1%
1989 7.58 +5.1%
1990 7.23 -4.6%
1991 3.31 -54.3%
1992 0.9688 -70.7%
1993 1.75 +80.9%
1994 1.93 +10.0%
1995 4.63 +140.1%
1996 2.65 -42.7%
1997 0.2247 -91.5%
1998 0.8595 +282.5%
1999 1.41 +63.8%
2000 4.46 +216.6%
2001 4.41 -1.1%
2002 3.05 -30.8%
2003 2.73 -10.4%
2004 2.34 -14.2%
2005 2.66 +13.6%
2006 3.55 +33.7%
2007 2.36 -33.7%
2008 4.35 +84.5%
2009 1.77 -59.3%
2010 2.86 +61.8%
2011 3.36 +17.2%
2012 1.69 -49.7%
2013 2.45 +45.3%
2014 2.51 +2.5%
2015 1.48 -40.9%
2016 1.28 -14.0%
2017 1.99 +56.2%
2018 1.93 -3.1%
2019 1.57 -19.0%
2020 0.8903 -43.1%
2021 2.82 +216.7%
2022 6.66 +136.1%
2023 5.57 -16.3%
2024 3.2 -42.6%
2025 2.28 -28.6%
2026 2.34 +2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.38 -0.3195 3.48 9
1970s 9.8 3.44 15.42 10
1980s 8.41 3.96 11.35 10
1990s 2.5 0.2247 7.23 10
2000s 3.17 1.77 4.46 10
2010s 2.11 1.28 3.36 10
2020s 3.39 0.8903 6.66 7

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 15 Bulgaria 2.76 compare
  2. 16 Iceland 2.73 compare
  3. 17 Costa Rica 2.47 compare
  4. 19 Norway 2.25 compare
  5. 20 Czechia 2.12 compare
  6. 21 New Zealand 2.1 compare

See the full ranking of 31 places →

More economy & growth data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation in Australia?
Economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation in Australia was 2.34 in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 15.42 in 1974.
What is the lowest economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was -0.3195 in 1962.
How does Australia rank for economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation?
Australia ranks 18th out of 28 countries with data for 2026.
Is economic outlook no 117 — headline inflation rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 83.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/economic-outlook-no-117-headline-inflation/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Economic Outlook No 117 — Headline inflation
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
31 places, 1,549 data points, 1961–2026
Last refreshed

The OECD Economic Outlook presents the OECD’s analysis of the major global economic trends and prospects for the next two years. The Outlook puts forward a consistent set of projections for output, employment, government spending, prices and current balances based on a review of each member country and of the induced effect on each of them on international developments. OECD (2025), OECD Economic Outlook No 117 (Edition 2025/1) EO117 Database documentation EO117 Last historical points gdp inflation cpi population unemployment real gdp gdp per capita employment OECD Economic Outlook website: https://www.oecd.org/economic-outlook/ Contact : eco.outlook@oecd.org Keywords : Outlook, forecasts, forecast, GDP