Inflation & Prices•Series ID: 3.10001.P1.50.Q•1999–2026
Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI) - Historical Data
Unlike the headline CPI (which excludes mortgage interest charges), the ABS Selected Living Cost Index for Employee Households captures the direct impact of RBA interest rate changes on household budgets.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (2026 Q2)
3.7%
Prev (2026 Q1): 2.6%+1.1 pp
Highest Recorded (2023 Q2)
9.7%
Recorded in 2023 Q2
Lowest Recorded (2020 Q2)
-2.1%
COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor
Long-Run Mean (1999–2026)
2.9%
28 annual observations · Quarterly
Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI) - Historical Series (1999–2026)
% p.a.Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1999–2026) and recent quarterly releases.
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Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (3.10001.P1.50.Q) Latest: 3.7 % p.a. (2026 Q2)
Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI) by Decade (1999–2026)
Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles
1990s1999–1999
1.1%
High (1999):1.1%
Low (1999):1.1%
2000s2000–2009
3.3%
High (2008):5.3%
Low (2009):0.2%
2010s2010–2019
1.9%
High (2011):4.2%
Low (2012):0.8%
2020s2020–2026
3.9%
High (2023):8.8%
Low (2020):-0.6%
Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI) - Historical Table (1999–2026)
Unit: % p.a. · Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (3.10001.P1.50.Q)
| Year | Employee Living Cost Index (% p.a.) | Year Range (Low – High) | Historical Context / Year Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.2% | 2.6% – 3.7% | The Australian Economy in 2026 → |
| 2025 | 2.7% | 2.3% – 3.4% | Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration |
| 2024 | 5.3% | 4.0% – 6.5% | The Australian Economy in 2024 → |
| 2023 | 8.8% | 6.8% – 9.7% | The Australian Economy in 2023 → |
| 2022 | 6.1% | 3.8% – 9.3% | Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle |
| 2021 | 2.1% | 0.0% – 3.4% | The Australian Economy in 2021 → |
| 2020 | -0.6% | -2.1% – 1.1% | COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor |
| 2019 | 1.3% | 1.0% – 1.6% | The Australian Economy in 2019 → |
| 2018 | 2.0% | 1.8% – 2.2% | The Australian Economy in 2018 → |
| 2017 | 1.6% | 1.3% – 2.0% | The Australian Economy in 2017 → |
| 2016 | 1.1% | 1.0% – 1.2% | The Australian Economy in 2016 → |
| 2015 | 0.9% | 0.7% – 1.1% | The Australian Economy in 2015 → |
| 2014 | 2.0% | 1.6% – 2.3% | The Australian Economy in 2014 → |
| 2013 | 0.9% | 0.7% – 1.2% | The Australian Economy in 2013 → |
| 2012 | 0.8% | 0.7% – 1.2% | The Australian Economy in 2012 → |
| 2011 | 4.2% | 3.3% – 4.9% | China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak |
| 2010 | 3.9% | 2.0% – 4.7% | The Australian Economy in 2010 → |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -1.0% – 2.4% | The Australian Economy in 2009 → |
| 2008 | 5.3% | 4.4% – 6.2% | Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts |
| 2007 | 3.2% | 2.7% – 3.6% | The Australian Economy in 2007 → |
| 2006 | 4.2% | 3.6% – 4.6% | The Australian Economy in 2006 → |
| 2005 | 3.1% | 2.7% – 3.5% | The Australian Economy in 2005 → |
| 2004 | 3.0% | 2.5% – 3.3% | The Australian Economy in 2004 → |
| 2003 | 3.0% | 2.6% – 3.7% | The Australian Economy in 2003 → |
| 2002 | 2.6% | 1.9% – 3.2% | The Australian Economy in 2002 → |
| 2001 | 4.1% | 2.1% – 6.5% | The Australian Economy in 2001 → |
| 2000 | 4.7% | 2.7% – 6.5% | Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
| 1999 | 1.1% | 0.7% – 1.3% | The Australian Economy in 1999 → |
Related Australian Economic Statistics
Australian Inflation Rate (CPI)Inflation & Prices · 1923–2026
3.9%2026 Q2
Variable Owner-Occupier Mortgage Interest RateInterest Rates · 2015–2026
6.20%Aug 2026
RBA Cash Rate Target & Overnight Cash RateInterest Rates · 1976–2026
4.36%Sep 2026
Housing Loan Interest & Repayments to IncomeHousing & Property · 2009–2026
9.4%2026 Q1
Compare Employee Living Cost Index against another indicator →
Source Information & Methodology
- Primary Institution:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Dataset / Publication:
- Selected Living Cost Indexes - Employee Households
- Series / Table ID:
- ABS Dataflow LCI (3.10001.P1.50.Q)
- Release Frequency:
- Quarterly
• Primary source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Selected Living Cost Indexes - Employee Households (ABS Dataflow LCI).
• Observation frequency: Quarterly. Annual table values represent calendar year averages.
• Series coverage spans 1999 to 2026 (28 annual observations).
APA Citation:Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Selected Living Cost Indexes - Employee Households (Dataflow LCI: 3.10001.P1.50.Q). Retrieved October 2026 from https://data.api.abs.gov.au
Frequently Asked Questions: Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI)
- What is the current Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI)?
- As of 2026 Q2, the latest recorded Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI) is 3.7 (% p.a.), compared with 2.6 in 2026 Q1.
- What is the highest and lowest Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI) ever recorded in Australia?
- Across the historical series (1999–2026), the highest observation was 9.7 (% p.a.) in 2023 Q2, while the lowest was -2.1 (% p.a.) in 2020 Q2. The long-run historical average is 2.9.
- Where is the official Employee Household Living Cost Index (LCI) data sourced from?
- This series is compiled from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Selected Living Cost Indexes - Employee Households, Series ID: 3.10001.P1.50.Q) and is updated on a quarterly basis under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).