Inflation Record$100 in 1972 → Today (Australia)
Official data verified · CPI (ABS) · Annual average · Not seasonally adjusted · Data through September 2026 (fetched 2026-11-02) · All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0)
$1,342.47
+1242.5% cumulative inflation · 1972–2026
Your $100 in 1972 would have the purchasing power of $1,342.47 in Australia today.
What this means
- Purchasing power: $100 in 1972 had the same average buying power as $1,342.47 in 2026.
- Price level change: the overall consumer price level rose by 1242.5% across this 54-year span; the purchasing power of a dollar changed by -92.6%.
- This measures the broad basket of consumer goods and services (CPI (ABS)). Individual expenses moved at different rates.
What this means in other amounts
| In 1972 | Worth in 2026 |
|---|---|
| $1 | $13.42 |
| $5 | $67.12 |
| $10 | $134.25 |
| $20 | $268.49 |
| $50 | $671.23 |
| $100 | $1,342.47 |
| $500 | $6,712.33 |
| $1,000 | $13,424.66 |
| $10,000 | $134,246.60 |
| $100,000 | $1,342,465.98 |
Key facts about 1972
- Consumer prices rose 6.0% in 1972 — the 23rd-largest annual increase in the 1949–2026 record.
- 1972 is in the quarterly-CPI era: its annual average is the mean of the year's four quarterly indexes.
- In the decade after 1972, prices rose 192.0% in total.
$100 in 1972, decade by decade
| Year | Worth | Cumulative price change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | $292.05 | +192.0% |
| 1992 | $544.32 | +444.3% |
| 2002 | $698.64 | +598.6% |
| 2012 | $918.41 | +818.4% |
| 2022 | $1,157.27 | +1057.3% |
| 2026 | $1,342.47 | +1242.5% |
Quarterly CPI in 1972
| Period | Index | Change vs same period, prior year |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 10.8 | 6.9% |
| Q2 | 10.9 | 6.9% |
| Q3 | 11.1 | 5.7% |
| Q4 | 11.2 | 4.7% |
Annual average for 1972: 11.000
Verify this calculation
Series: All groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities (6401.0); base 2011-12=100; not seasonally adjusted.
Index (1972 annual average): 11.000 · Index (2026 annual average): 147.671 · Ratio: 13.4247
Formula: amount × (indexend / indexstart). Formula v1.0 — annual-average CPI, NSA (per-country basis on each methodology page). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.