Housing & Property•Series ID: M6.AUS.CUR.1.9.100.20.Q•1969–2026
Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts) - Historical Data
Measures physical residential construction starts across houses and multi-unit apartments from the ABS Building Activity survey.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (2026 Q2)
52,006
Prev (2026 Q1): 48,625+3,381
Highest Recorded (2021 Q2)
66,489
Recorded in 2021 Q2
Lowest Recorded (1982 Q4)
24,545
Early 1980s recession & drought
Long-Run Mean (1969–2026)
154,731
58 annual observations · Quarterly
Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts) - Historical Series (1969–2026)
Dwellings / qtrDrag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1969–2026) and recent quarterly releases.
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Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (M6.AUS.CUR.1.9.100.20.Q) Latest: 52006 Dwellings / qtr (2026 Q2)
Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts) by Decade (1969–2026)
Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles
1960s1969–1969
74,664
High (1969):74,664
Low (1969):74,664
1970s1970–1979
139,132
High (1973):175,863
Low (1978):113,702
1980s1980–1989
137,948
High (1988):162,271
Low (1982):109,346
1990s1990–1999
145,200
High (1994):182,631
Low (1996):119,672
2000s2000–2009
153,172
High (2002):171,959
Low (2001):136,049
2010s2010–2019
192,139
High (2016):231,880
Low (2012):151,824
2020s2020–2026
174,829
High (2021):228,417
Low (2026):100,631
Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts) - Historical Table (1969–2026)
Unit: Dwellings / qtr · Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (M6.AUS.CUR.1.9.100.20.Q)
| Year | Housing Starts (Dwellings / qtr) | Year Range (Low – High) | Historical Context / Year Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 100,631 | 48,625 – 52,006 | The Australian Economy in 2026 → |
| 2025 | 196,534 | 45,468 – 53,890 | Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration |
| 2024 | 168,536 | 40,953 – 43,699 | The Australian Economy in 2024 → |
| 2023 | 165,172 | 37,840 – 45,649 | The Australian Economy in 2023 → |
| 2022 | 182,161 | 41,280 – 48,354 | Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle |
| 2021 | 228,417 | 51,987 – 66,489 | The Australian Economy in 2021 → |
| 2020 | 182,349 | 42,078 – 51,249 | COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor |
| 2019 | 174,593 | 40,460 – 45,961 | The Australian Economy in 2019 → |
| 2018 | 222,987 | 48,166 – 61,988 | The Australian Economy in 2018 → |
| 2017 | 214,530 | 51,699 – 54,768 | The Australian Economy in 2017 → |
| 2016 | 231,880 | 56,040 – 61,634 | The Australian Economy in 2016 → |
| 2015 | 224,885 | 55,086 – 56,947 | The Australian Economy in 2015 → |
| 2014 | 201,816 | 47,495 – 54,139 | The Australian Economy in 2014 → |
| 2013 | 169,474 | 39,399 – 45,834 | The Australian Economy in 2013 → |
| 2012 | 151,824 | 33,563 – 41,734 | The Australian Economy in 2012 → |
| 2011 | 154,285 | 36,151 – 41,848 | China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak |
| 2010 | 175,115 | 39,173 – 47,351 | The Australian Economy in 2010 → |
| 2009 | 140,009 | 31,434 – 41,513 | The Australian Economy in 2009 → |
| 2008 | 147,947 | 31,561 – 40,172 | Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts |
| 2007 | 153,219 | 37,208 – 39,835 | The Australian Economy in 2007 → |
| 2006 | 152,742 | 38,012 – 38,439 | The Australian Economy in 2006 → |
| 2005 | 152,804 | 35,807 – 40,077 | The Australian Economy in 2005 → |
| 2004 | 166,568 | 39,828 – 44,345 | The Australian Economy in 2004 → |
| 2003 | 167,783 | 39,061 – 44,701 | The Australian Economy in 2003 → |
| 2002 | 171,959 | 41,047 – 45,190 | The Australian Economy in 2002 → |
| 2001 | 136,049 | 27,922 – 41,063 | The Australian Economy in 2001 → |
| 2000 | 142,643 | 27,159 – 46,361 | Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
| 1999 | 154,501 | 35,953 – 41,156 | The Australian Economy in 1999 → |
| 1998 | 146,843 | 35,345 – 37,407 | The Australian Economy in 1998 → |
| 1997 | 135,601 | 32,487 – 37,146 | The Australian Economy in 1997 → |
| 1996 | 119,672 | 28,831 – 30,607 | The Australian Economy in 1996 → |
| 1995 | 135,742 | 29,473 – 38,286 | The Australian Economy in 1995 → |
| 1994 | 182,631 | 44,591 – 47,321 | The Australian Economy in 1994 → |
| 1993 | 170,306 | 41,238 – 43,909 | RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting |
| 1992 | 152,476 | 35,840 – 39,620 | The Australian Economy in 1992 → |
| 1991 | 126,462 | 29,908 – 33,949 | Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have") |
| 1990 | 127,762 | 30,519 – 33,698 | Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate) |
| 1989 | 158,228 | 34,019 – 44,026 | The Australian Economy in 1989 → |
| 1988 | 162,271 | 36,090 – 44,477 | The Australian Economy in 1988 → |
| 1987 | 118,865 | 27,834 – 32,061 | October 1987 sharemarket crash |
| 1986 | 121,740 | 29,287 – 32,944 | The Australian Economy in 1986 → |
| 1985 | 148,539 | 35,111 – 39,005 | The Australian Economy in 1985 → |
| 1984 | 150,412 | 35,683 – 38,681 | The Australian Economy in 1984 → |
| 1983 | 118,866 | 25,838 – 33,603 | Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord |
| 1982 | 109,346 | 24,545 – 31,028 | Early 1980s recession & drought |
| 1981 | 146,325 | 35,350 – 37,523 | The Australian Economy in 1981 → |
| 1980 | 144,886 | 34,177 – 38,115 | The Australian Economy in 1980 → |
| 1979 | 127,847 | 31,298 – 33,486 | The Australian Economy in 1979 → |
| 1978 | 113,702 | 27,899 – 29,653 | The Australian Economy in 1978 → |
| 1977 | 128,758 | 29,277 – 35,072 | The Australian Economy in 1977 → |
| 1976 | 143,861 | 34,701 – 37,409 | The Australian Economy in 1976 → |
| 1975 | 127,890 | 29,032 – 33,704 | The Australian Economy in 1975 → |
| 1974 | 134,563 | 28,323 – 41,032 | 1974 wage explosion & stagflation peak |
| 1973 | 175,863 | 42,054 – 45,392 | First OPEC oil shock |
| 1972 | 157,060 | 36,383 – 41,866 | The Australian Economy in 1972 → |
| 1971 | 142,390 | 34,540 – 36,661 | The Australian Economy in 1971 → |
| 1970 | 139,387 | 33,513 – 36,701 | The Australian Economy in 1970 → |
| 1969 | 74,664 | 37,127 – 37,537 | The Australian Economy in 1969 → |
Related Australian Economic Statistics
Source Information & Methodology
- Primary Institution:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Dataset / Publication:
- Building Activity, Australia - Dwelling Units Commenced
- Series / Table ID:
- ABS Dataflow BUILDING_ACTIVITY (M6.AUS.CUR.1.9.100.20.Q)
- Release Frequency:
- Quarterly
• Primary source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Building Activity, Australia - Dwelling Units Commenced (ABS Dataflow BUILDING_ACTIVITY).
• Observation frequency: Quarterly. Annual table values represent calendar year sums.
• Series coverage spans 1969 to 2026 (58 annual observations).
APA Citation:Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Building Activity, Australia - Dwelling Units Commenced (Dataflow BUILDING_ACTIVITY: M6.AUS.CUR.1.9.100.20.Q). Retrieved October 2026 from https://data.api.abs.gov.au
Frequently Asked Questions: Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts)
- What is the current Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts)?
- As of 2026 Q2, the latest recorded Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts) is 52006.0 (Dwellings / qtr), compared with 48625.0 in 2026 Q1.
- What is the highest and lowest Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts) ever recorded in Australia?
- Across the historical series (1969–2026), the highest observation was 66489.0 (Dwellings / qtr) in 2021 Q2, while the lowest was 24545.0 (Dwellings / qtr) in 1982 Q4. The long-run historical average is 154731.0.
- Where is the official Dwelling Commencements (Housing Starts) data sourced from?
- This series is compiled from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Building Activity, Australia - Dwelling Units Commenced, Series ID: M6.AUS.CUR.1.9.100.20.Q) and is updated on a quarterly basis under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).