Australian Dollar to US Dollar exchange rate history 1971 to 2026: commodities and the Aussie
One Australian Dollar bought 1.1360 USD in 1971 and 0.7035 USD in 2026. Commodities and the Aussie. The series covers 56 years of annual data.
- 2026 avg
- 0.7035
- year to date
- Highest avg
- 1.4389
- 1974
- Lowest avg
- 0.5169
- 2001
- Traded range
- 0.4828 to 1.4885
- low 2001, high 1973
Source: Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXUSAL). Latest daily observation 2026-10-30.
Annual averages of daily observations.
AUD/USD since 1971
Australian Dollar to US Dollar averaged 1.1360 USD in 1971 and 0.6450 USD in 2025, 43.2% lower across 55 complete years.
The annual average has ranged from 0.5169 in 2001 to 1.4389 in 1974. On individual trading days the series reached 0.4828 and 1.4885, a ratio of 3.1 to 1.
AUD/USD by decade
Grouped by decade, the annual average was 1.2317 in 1971-1979 and 0.6870 in 2020-2026. The widest decade-to-decade change was -29.1% between 1971-1979 and 1980-1989, when the average moved from 1.2317 to 0.8735.
The final bucket, 2020-2026, is a partial decade and includes the year-to-date 2026 average. The table below shows every bucket with its high and low, so the short-run moves and the long-run level can be read together.
Iron ore, China and the Australian dollar
AUD/USD includes a commodity currency. The Australian dollar has floated since 1983 and is sensitive to commodity prices, China and global risk appetite.
Australia exports iron ore, coal and other commodities, and China is its largest export market. The link runs through the terms of trade: a higher export price raises national income and usually supports the exporter's currency, while a fall does the opposite. The Australian dollar has floated since 1983, so the series reflects the full commodity cycle rather than a managed rate.
The data shows that sensitivity but not a mechanical rule. The average moved -43.2% over 55 complete years, and the traded range ran from 0.4828 in 2001 to 1.4885 in 1973.
The five largest AUD/USD moves
Ranked by absolute year-end change, the five largest moves were 2003 (+33.7%), 2009 (+28.6%), 2008 (-20.4%), 1988 (+18.2%), 1997 (-18.0%). The biggest was 2003, when the rate moved from 0.5625 to 0.7520, a change of 33.7%.
Across 55 complete years the pair rose in 23 and fell in 31. The average annual change was -0.5% with a standard deviation of 11.2 percentage points, which is one way to compare its volatility with other pairs.
What moves AUD/USD
AUD: The Australian dollar has floated since 1983 and is sensitive to commodity prices, China and global risk appetite.
USD: The US dollar is the world's main reserve currency and the base leg for most foreign exchange trading.
For AUD/USD, the AUD leg responds to iron ore and commodity prices, Chinese demand, Reserve Bank of Australia policy, while the USD leg responds to Federal Reserve policy, US inflation and Treasury yields, safe-haven demand. The exchange rate is the market's attempt to balance the two sets of forces.
How to read the AUD/USD data
The annual figures are averages of the daily observations in Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXUSAL). Highs and lows are the most extreme single observations in each calendar year, not intraday highs. No figure on this page is estimated or interpolated.
AUD/USD by decade
Annual averages grouped into decade buckets. The first and last buckets may cover fewer than ten years.
| Period | Average | High | Low | vs previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–1979 | 1.2317 | 1.4885 | 1.0054 | n/a |
| 1980–1989 | 0.8735 | 1.1890 | 0.5959 | -29.1% |
| 1990–1999 | 0.7248 | 0.8351 | 0.5550 | -17.0% |
| 2000–2009 | 0.7033 | 0.9797 | 0.4828 | -3.0% |
| 2010–2019 | 0.8568 | 1.1026 | 0.6698 | +21.8% |
| 2020–2026 | 0.6870 | 0.7953 | 0.5755 | -19.8% |
Average of the annual averages in each period. The first and last rows cover partial decades.
AUD/USD annual average, 1971 to 2026
Annual average with the full trading range for each year. average high–low range
Source: Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXUSAL). Figures are annual averages of daily observations.
Five largest AUD/USD moves
The largest absolute year-end changes in the published series, using complete calendar years only.
- 2003 +33.7% 0.5625 to 0.7520
Year-end rate moved from 0.5625 to 0.7520, a change of 33.7%.
- 2009 +28.6% 0.6983 to 0.8979
Year-end rate moved from 0.6983 to 0.8979, a change of 28.6%.
- 2008 -20.4% 0.8776 to 0.6983
Year-end rate moved from 0.8776 to 0.6983, a change of 20.4%.
- 1988 +18.2% 0.7220 to 0.8535
Year-end rate moved from 0.7220 to 0.8535, a change of 18.2%.
- 1997 -18.0% 0.7944 to 0.6515
Year-end rate moved from 0.7944 to 0.6515, a change of 18.0%.
AUD/USD history: the years that moved the rate
Each event below is dated and tied to one of the currencies in this pair.
- 1983 1983-12-12
Australian dollar floated
Australia floated the Australian dollar, ending the managed exchange rate regime and letting the market set the currency's value.
- 2008 2008-09-15
Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy
The collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a global financial crisis, a flight into the US dollar and extreme volatility across currency markets.
- 2020 2020-03-15
Pandemic triggers a global dash for cash
The COVID-19 shock caused a worldwide sell-off and a surge in demand for US dollars, followed by large central bank intervention and emergency rate cuts.
AUD to USD exchange rate by year
Every year since 1971: annual average, the year high and low, the year-end rate, and the change on the previous year.
| Year | Average | High | Low | Year end | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.1360 | 1.1888 | 1.1124 | 1.1887 | n/a |
| 1972 | 1.1923 | 1.2732 | 1.1880 | 1.2732 | +7.1% |
| 1973 | 1.4190 | 1.4885 | 1.2710 | 1.4825 | +16.4% |
| 1974 | 1.4389 | 1.4875 | 1.3025 | 1.3245 | -10.7% |
| 1975 | 1.3077 | 1.3655 | 1.2518 | 1.2545 | -5.3% |
| 1976 | 1.2215 | 1.2610 | 1.0054 | 1.0890 | -13.2% |
| 1977 | 1.1082 | 1.1410 | 1.0822 | 1.1380 | +4.5% |
| 1978 | 1.1441 | 1.1860 | 1.1230 | 1.1500 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 1.1177 | 1.1518 | 1.0902 | 1.1057 | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 1.1395 | 1.1814 | 1.0670 | 1.1814 | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 1.1495 | 1.1890 | 1.1225 | 1.1280 | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 1.0165 | 1.1290 | 0.9333 | 0.9800 | -13.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9014 | 0.9905 | 0.8528 | 0.8965 | -8.5% |
| 1984 | 0.8795 | 0.9648 | 0.8188 | 0.8250 | -8.0% |
| 1985 | 0.7003 | 0.8220 | 0.6335 | 0.6818 | -17.4% |
| 1986 | 0.6709 | 0.7465 | 0.5959 | 0.6653 | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 0.7014 | 0.7363 | 0.6440 | 0.7220 | +8.5% |
| 1988 | 0.7841 | 0.8815 | 0.7020 | 0.8535 | +18.2% |
| 1989 | 0.7919 | 0.8915 | 0.7395 | 0.7893 | -7.5% |
| 1990 | 0.7807 | 0.8351 | 0.7452 | 0.7720 | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 0.7787 | 0.8011 | 0.7507 | 0.7593 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 0.7352 | 0.7700 | 0.6822 | 0.6890 | -9.3% |
| 1993 | 0.6799 | 0.7213 | 0.6450 | 0.6783 | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 0.7316 | 0.7778 | 0.6840 | 0.7753 | +14.3% |
| 1995 | 0.7407 | 0.7703 | 0.7100 | 0.7432 | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 0.7828 | 0.8180 | 0.7318 | 0.7944 | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 0.7437 | 0.7978 | 0.6490 | 0.6515 | -18.0% |
| 1998 | 0.6291 | 0.6868 | 0.5550 | 0.6123 | -6.0% |
| 1999 | 0.6454 | 0.6712 | 0.6179 | 0.6560 | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 0.5815 | 0.6687 | 0.5112 | 0.5560 | -15.2% |
| 2001 | 0.5169 | 0.5712 | 0.4828 | 0.5117 | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 0.5437 | 0.5748 | 0.5060 | 0.5625 | +9.9% |
| 2003 | 0.6524 | 0.7520 | 0.5629 | 0.7520 | +33.7% |
| 2004 | 0.7365 | 0.7979 | 0.6840 | 0.7805 | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 0.7627 | 0.7974 | 0.7261 | 0.7342 | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 0.7535 | 0.7914 | 0.7056 | 0.7884 | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 0.8391 | 0.9369 | 0.7724 | 0.8776 | +11.3% |
| 2008 | 0.8537 | 0.9797 | 0.6073 | 0.6983 | -20.4% |
| 2009 | 0.7927 | 0.9369 | 0.6301 | 0.8979 | +28.6% |
| 2010 | 0.9200 | 1.0153 | 0.8172 | 1.0122 | +12.7% |
| 2011 | 1.0332 | 1.1026 | 0.9453 | 1.0251 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.0359 | 1.0806 | 0.9688 | 1.0393 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 0.9683 | 1.0579 | 0.8858 | 0.8929 | -14.1% |
| 2014 | 0.9034 | 0.9488 | 0.8097 | 0.8173 | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 0.7522 | 0.8212 | 0.6917 | 0.7286 | -10.8% |
| 2016 | 0.7445 | 0.7817 | 0.6855 | 0.7230 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7671 | 0.8071 | 0.7231 | 0.7815 | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 0.7481 | 0.8105 | 0.7020 | 0.7046 | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 0.6952 | 0.7282 | 0.6698 | 0.7030 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.6899 | 0.7709 | 0.5755 | 0.7709 | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 0.7515 | 0.7953 | 0.7011 | 0.7260 | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 0.6951 | 0.7598 | 0.6219 | 0.6805 | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 0.6644 | 0.7102 | 0.6290 | 0.6828 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 0.6597 | 0.6934 | 0.6185 | 0.6185 | -9.4% |
| 2025 | 0.6450 | 0.6710 | 0.5980 | 0.6669 | +7.8% |
| 2026 YTD | 0.7035 | 0.7263 | 0.6679 | 0.7038 | +5.5% |
1971–2026 · 55 complete calendar years. Annual figures are averages of available daily observations. 2026 is year to date: the average is based on 209 published trading days through 2026-10-30.
AUD/USD history: common questions
What was the AUD/USD rate in 1971?
One AUD averaged 1.1360 USD in 1971, with a range of 1.1124 to 1.1888 and a year-end rate of 1.1887.
What is the lowest AUD/USD rate on record?
The lowest annual average was 0.5169 in 2001. The lowest single observation was 0.4828 in 2001.
What is the highest AUD/USD rate on record?
The highest annual average was 1.4389 in 1974. The highest single observation was 1.4885 in 1973.
How volatile has AUD/USD been?
Across 55 complete years the average annual change was -0.5% with a standard deviation of 11.2 percentage points. The largest drawdown was 65.5%, from 1973 to 2001.
What was the biggest single-year move in AUD/USD?
2003 was the largest, at +33.7%. The year-end rate moved from 0.5625 to 0.7520.
How is the AUD/USD rate calculated?
The annual figures are averages of daily observations in Federal Reserve H.10 (DEXUSAL). Highs and lows are the most extreme single observations in each calendar year.
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