Australian Bureau of Statistics: official statistics for Australia
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is Australia's national statistical agency. It runs the Census and publishes the monthly CPI, the Labour Force survey, national accounts, population estimates, earnings, dwelling values, births, deaths and crime statistics. Each release has a 'latest release' page with key statistics, and data can be downloaded or read through the ABS Data API. Fact-checkers use it for most claims about Australia's economy and population.
What it publishes
- The Census of Population and Housing (2026 Census held 11 August 2026; first results June 2027).
- Consumer Price Index, monthly, with quarterly tables.
- Labour Force, Australia, monthly.
- Australian National Accounts, quarterly.
- National, state and territory population, quarterly.
- Average Weekly Earnings, twice a year.
- Total Value of Dwellings, quarterly; births, life expectancy and recorded crime, annually.
Key datasets
- Consumer Price Index, Australia
Monthly CPI, trimmed mean and group indexes.
- Labour Force, Australia
Employment, unemployment, participation and hours.
- National, state and territory population
Estimated resident population, natural increase and net overseas migration.
- Australian National Accounts
GDP, income, expenditure and household saving.
- Average Weekly Earnings
Mean weekly earnings by sex, sector and state.
- Total Value of Dwellings
Value and mean price of the residential dwelling stock.
APIs and downloads
- ABS Data ExplorerBrowse and download ABS datasets in CSV or Excel.
- ABS Data API user guideSDMX REST API returning CSV, JSON or XML; no key required when checked.
When it publishes
ABS releases come out at 11:30 am Canberra time on dates set in the release calendar, and each latest-release page shows the next release date.
How to use it to check a claim
- Check whether a figure is seasonally adjusted, trend or original.
- For inflation, say whether the claim uses headline CPI or the trimmed mean, and monthly or quarterly data.
- For population, check the reference date; figures are preliminary for recent quarters.
- Use the latest-release page's reference period and release date when citing.
Common mistakes
- Mean dwelling price is total stock value divided by dwellings, not a median sale price.
- Average weekly earnings are means and exclude many part-time workers in the full-time series.
- The 'latest-release' URL always shows the newest release, so cite the release title and date as well.
When are 2026 Census results out?
The ABS plans three releases: June 2027, October 2027 and early to mid-2028.
Is there an ABS API?
Yes. The ABS Data API is an SDMX REST API documented in its user guide; data can also be downloaded from Data Explorer.
Questions answered using this source
- What is the inflation rate in Australia?
- What is the population of Australia?
- What is the unemployment rate in Australia?
- What is Australia's GDP growth?
- What is the average salary in Australia?
- What is the average house price in Australia?
- When will 2026 Census results be released in Australia?
Links checked 14 October 2026. This page describes what the source publishes and gives no verdict on any claim.