Welcome to the ABS website

Find out about how we are continually improving our website

About our website

Our website has been designed to make it easier for you to find the data you need. We are committed to the continual improvement of your experience. This page is regularly updated based on your questions and feedback.

Features you will find

  • prominent key statistics
  • clear and easy pathways to statistics
  • language is easier to understand
  • interactive graphs and tables
  • improved accessibility
  • green tick to indicate latest release

What we are hearing from you

  • Printing a page - To print or save a page you can right click in most browsers or access print options through your browser's settings. We are working on improving the print functionality
  • Downloading a table - To download and save any table you can click on the "download" button on the top right of a table and download as a CSV or XLSX

Upcoming improvements

  • Downloading all data for a release is being progressively implemented - A "download all" button is available in the download section and should be in place on most releases
  • There are few inconsistencies in formatting on pages. We are working to have this resolved as soon as possible

Browser compatibility

For the best website experience and improved online security, we recommend using the following desktop browsers.

The most current and previous two versions of these browsers are currently supported.

  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Apple Safari

Navigating our web address structure

We have updated our web address structures to make them more predictable and user friendly.

You may need to update your bookmarks, macros and systems. You can see examples of the new web address structures below.

How to navigate to a topic page

Format: abs.gov.au/statistics/theme/parent-topic/topic/latest-release 

Example: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/national-accounts/australian-national-accounts-national-income-expenditure-and-product/latest-release

Note: This added feature of latest-release allows you to bookmark a specific topic URL and always be taken to the latest statistics

How to navigate to a specific reference period

Format: abs.gov.au/statistics/theme/parent-topic/topic/reference-period

Example: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/national-accounts/australian-national-accounts-national-income-expenditure-and-product/mar-2020

How to navigate to a downloadable file

Format: abs.gov.au/statistics/theme/parent-topic/topic/latest-release/filename.xls

Example: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia/latest-release/6202001.xls

Note: The use of latest-release in the above format is only intended for Time Series Spreadsheets, and may not work for other file types. Any file name containing a reference period component cannot be bookmarked using latest-release

Example: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/jun-2020/87520DO001_202006.xls

Changes to Excel file format on the ABS website

From 3 December 2021, the ABS began transitioning to Excel files in .XLSX format. This means that spreadsheets in new statistical releases will be progressively upgraded from .XLS files to .XLSX files.

While this change will improve usability, it may also require changes to automated macros or similar programs that users may have in place that call on the current file extension format.

Previously released spreadsheets will not change.

Application Programming Interface (API)

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) enable fast access to ABS statistics using machine to machine ‘API calls’. These calls return statistics in a machine friendly format so that you can integrate data into your own systems as they are released.

There are two APIs available:

ABS Indicator API (Beta) allows you to request headline economic statistics from the ABS including Australia's key economic indicators. An API key is required to use this service.

  • Direct access to headline data as soon as they are released.
  • Uses the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) standard.
  • Data is available in XML, JSON and CSV.
  • Metadata is available in JSON and XML.
     

ABS Data API (Beta) allows you to request ABS statistics including detailed economic, social and Census data. An API Key is optional but recommended for this service.

  • WCAG 2.0 compliant user interface called Data Explorer where you can filter data and generate API calls.
  • Compliant with the SDMX 2.1 information model.
  • Data is available in XML, JSON and CSV.
  • Metadata available in XML and JSON.
     

Please note, newly published data will be released in the ABS Data API and Data Explorer with a short delay following its publication on the ABS website.

For more information regarding APIs or to register to be notified about ongoing API improvements, please get in contact with us at api.data@abs.gov.au.

Citing ABS sources

We have updated our guidance on citing to help with referencing data. This is a suggested guide, indicating key elements to include when referencing ABS sources. 

Catalogue numbers

Catalogue numbers are still available but no longer appear in release titles. You can still search for releases using catalogue numbers. Our monthly release calendar shows the catalogue numbers for upcoming releases. ABS catalogue numbers are also included at the bottom of every topic page. 

Printing pages

We are working to improve the way content on pages prints from your browser. Currently when you print a page content can extend across pages which can cause graphs and tables not to display in full. To ensure all graph and table content is included when you print you can adjust the scale of the page.

We suggest changing the scale of a page from 100% to 80%, this will reduce the size of the content allowing the graphs and tables to print correctly. You do this by clicking print from your browser settings typically found in the top right corner of the page and changing the scale. Depending on your browser the scale may be adjusted within the advanced settings. 

Provide your feedback

We encourage you to provide your feedback as we continue to improve our website into the future. You can provide feedback using the feedback buttons. These are located on the right-hand side of each page and within the page footer. Contact us if you have any questions about the changes we are making.

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