Inflation & Prices•Series ID: 40055•1981–2026
Electricity Price Inflation - Historical Data
Tracks household retail electricity bills across Australia (ABS CPI Index 40055), reflecting wholesale energy costs, network charges, and government energy bill rebates.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (2026 Q2)
21.9%
Prev (2026 Q1): 31.9%-9.9 pp
Highest Recorded (1982 Q4)
33.7%
Early 1980s recession & drought
Lowest Recorded (2024 Q4)
-25.3%
Recorded in 2024 Q4
Long-Run Mean (1981–2026)
5.8%
46 annual observations · Quarterly
Electricity Price Inflation - Historical Series (1981–2026)
% p.a.Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1981–2026) and recent quarterly releases.
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Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (40055) Latest: 21.9 % p.a. (2026 Q2)
Electricity Price Inflation by Decade (1981–2026)
Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles
1980s1981–1989
10.0%
High (1982):25.1%
Low (1984):4.4%
1990s1990–1999
1.8%
High (1991):7.1%
Low (1998):-1.4%
2000s2000–2009
5.7%
High (2009):11.9%
Low (2004):1.9%
2010s2010–2019
6.7%
High (2010):15.4%
Low (2015):-2.0%
2020s2020–2026
5.0%
High (2026):26.9%
Low (2024):-8.2%
Electricity Price Inflation - Historical Table (1981–2026)
Unit: % p.a. · Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (40055)
| Year | Electricity CPI (% p.a.) | Year Range (Low – High) | Historical Context / Year Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26.9% | 21.9% – 31.9% | The Australian Economy in 2026 → |
| 2025 | 7.8% | -11.2% – 25.5% | Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration |
| 2024 | -8.2% | -25.3% – 6.2% | The Australian Economy in 2024 → |
| 2023 | 12.5% | 6.7% – 15.8% | The Australian Economy in 2023 → |
| 2022 | 4.6% | 0.6% – 11.5% | Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle |
| 2021 | -4.8% | -11.1% – 2.9% | The Australian Economy in 2021 → |
| 2020 | -4.0% | -9.4% – -1.5% | COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor |
| 2019 | -1.8% | -3.6% – -0.5% | The Australian Economy in 2019 → |
| 2018 | 6.0% | 1.7% – 11.0% | The Australian Economy in 2018 → |
| 2017 | 10.4% | 7.7% – 13.6% | The Australian Economy in 2017 → |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -2.1% – 4.7% | The Australian Economy in 2016 → |
| 2015 | -2.0% | -3.9% – -0.1% | The Australian Economy in 2015 → |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -4.5% – 5.4% | The Australian Economy in 2014 → |
| 2013 | 11.7% | 6.1% – 17.3% | The Australian Economy in 2013 → |
| 2012 | 14.1% | 10.0% – 18.4% | The Australian Economy in 2012 → |
| 2011 | 11.8% | 10.7% – 12.4% | China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak |
| 2010 | 15.4% | 12.4% – 18.5% | The Australian Economy in 2010 → |
| 2009 | 11.9% | 7.8% – 15.7% | The Australian Economy in 2009 → |
| 2008 | 10.0% | 9.9% – 10.1% | Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts |
| 2007 | 4.5% | 2.6% – 6.7% | The Australian Economy in 2007 → |
| 2006 | 2.9% | 2.5% – 3.4% | The Australian Economy in 2006 → |
| 2005 | 2.9% | 2.6% – 3.1% | The Australian Economy in 2005 → |
| 2004 | 1.9% | 1.3% – 2.8% | The Australian Economy in 2004 → |
| 2003 | 5.7% | 5.1% – 6.2% | The Australian Economy in 2003 → |
| 2002 | 3.7% | 2.6% – 4.8% | The Australian Economy in 2002 → |
| 2001 | 7.2% | 3.1% – 11.4% | The Australian Economy in 2001 → |
| 2000 | 6.0% | 0.5% – 11.7% | Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
| 1999 | -1.0% | -3.2% – 1.2% | The Australian Economy in 1999 → |
| 1998 | -1.4% | -3.6% – 0.9% | The Australian Economy in 1998 → |
| 1997 | 1.2% | 0.9% – 1.4% | The Australian Economy in 1997 → |
| 1996 | 0.6% | 0.0% – 1.2% | The Australian Economy in 1996 → |
| 1995 | 0.1% | 0.0% – 0.2% | The Australian Economy in 1995 → |
| 1994 | 0.8% | 0.2% – 1.4% | The Australian Economy in 1994 → |
| 1993 | 4.0% | 2.4% – 4.9% | RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting |
| 1992 | 4.1% | 2.7% – 4.7% | The Australian Economy in 1992 → |
| 1991 | 7.1% | 4.7% – 13.6% | Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have") |
| 1990 | 2.3% | -2.8% – 4.9% | Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate) |
| 1989 | 4.4% | 3.4% – 5.3% | The Australian Economy in 1989 → |
| 1988 | 5.9% | 5.4% – 6.3% | The Australian Economy in 1988 → |
| 1987 | 5.3% | 3.9% – 6.8% | October 1987 sharemarket crash |
| 1986 | 5.8% | 5.6% – 6.1% | The Australian Economy in 1986 → |
| 1985 | 7.9% | 6.5% – 9.7% | The Australian Economy in 1985 → |
| 1984 | 4.4% | 2.6% – 6.4% | The Australian Economy in 1984 → |
| 1983 | 15.2% | 8.4% – 23.6% | Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord |
| 1982 | 25.1% | 17.3% – 33.7% | Early 1980s recession & drought |
| 1981 | 16.3% | 15.7% – 16.9% | The Australian Economy in 1981 → |
Related Australian Economic Statistics
Source Information & Methodology
- Primary Institution:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Dataset / Publication:
- Consumer Price Index - Electricity
- Series / Table ID:
- ABS Dataflow CPI_Q (40055)
- Release Frequency:
- Quarterly
• Primary source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Consumer Price Index - Electricity (ABS Dataflow CPI_Q).
• Observation frequency: Quarterly. Annual table values represent calendar year averages.
• Series coverage spans 1981 to 2026 (46 annual observations).
APA Citation:Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Consumer Price Index - Electricity (Dataflow CPI_Q: 40055). Retrieved October 2026 from https://data.api.abs.gov.au
Frequently Asked Questions: Electricity Price Inflation
- What is the current Electricity Price Inflation?
- As of 2026 Q2, the latest recorded Electricity Price Inflation is 21.9 (% p.a.), compared with 31.9 in 2026 Q1.
- What is the highest and lowest Electricity Price Inflation ever recorded in Australia?
- Across the historical series (1981–2026), the highest observation was 33.7 (% p.a.) in 1982 Q4, while the lowest was -25.3 (% p.a.) in 2024 Q4. The long-run historical average is 5.8.
- Where is the official Electricity Price Inflation data sourced from?
- This series is compiled from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Consumer Price Index - Electricity, Series ID: 40055) and is updated on a quarterly basis under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).