British Pound to Australian Dollar exchange rate history 1971 to 2026: two export profiles
One British Pound bought 2.1513 AUD in 1971 and 1.9101 AUD in 2026. Two export profiles. The series covers 56 years of annual data.
- 2026 avg
- 1.9101
- year to date
- Highest avg
- 2.7873
- 2001
- Lowest avg
- 1.4788
- 1976
- Traded range
- 1.2803 to 3.0277
- low 1976, high 2001
Source: Federal Reserve H.10 cross rate (DEXUSUK ÷ DEXUSAL). Latest daily observation 2026-10-30.
Annual averages of daily observations.
GBP/AUD in four numbers
- Change since 1971
- -4.9%
- 55 complete years
- Change over 10 years
- +0.5%
- 2015 to 2025
- Average annual change
- +0.5%
- standard deviation 12.1 points
- Largest drawdown
- 47.0%
- 2002 to 2011
GBP/AUD since 1971
British Pound to Australian Dollar averaged 2.1513 AUD in 1971 and 2.0452 AUD in 2025, 4.9% lower across 55 complete years.
The annual average has ranged from 1.4788 in 1976 to 2.7873 in 2001. On individual trading days the series reached 1.2803 and 3.0277, a ratio of 2.4 to 1.
Sterling against the Australian commodity cycle
GBP/AUD includes a commodity currency. The Australian dollar has floated since 1983 and is sensitive to commodity prices, China and global risk appetite.
The Australian dollar is driven by iron ore, China and risk appetite, while sterling is driven by UK policy and Europe. 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 pair is therefore a relative bet on two very different export profiles.
The data shows that sensitivity but not a mechanical rule. The average moved -4.9% over 55 complete years, and the traded range ran from 1.2803 in 1976 to 3.0277 in 2001.
What moves GBP/AUD
GBP: Sterling is a free-floating currency with a long history of fixed parities before 1971 and a large financial services sector.
AUD: The Australian dollar has floated since 1983 and is sensitive to commodity prices, China and global risk appetite.
For GBP/AUD, the GBP leg responds to Bank of England policy, UK inflation, Brexit and trade relations, while the AUD leg responds to iron ore and commodity prices, Chinese demand, Reserve Bank of Australia policy. The exchange rate is the market's attempt to balance the two sets of forces.
How wide is the GBP/AUD range?
The highest single observation in the series was 3.0277 in 2001, and the lowest was 1.2803 in 1976. That is a ratio of 2.4 to 1 between the two extremes.
Annual averages are narrower than single-day levels because they smooth the intra-year swings. Even so, the average has ranged from 1.4788 to 2.7873, a spread that matters for anyone converting at different points in the cycle.
The five largest GBP/AUD moves
Ranked by absolute year-end change, the five largest moves were 1985 (+51.0%), 1990 (+22.1%), 1988 (-18.9%), 2013 (+18.6%), 1987 (+17.2%). The biggest was 1985, when the rate moved from 1.4036 to 2.1194, a change of 51.0%.
Across 55 complete years the pair rose in 28 and fell in 26. The average annual change was +0.5% with a standard deviation of 12.1 percentage points, which is one way to compare its volatility with other pairs.
How to read the GBP/AUD data
This is a derived cross rate. Each day's GBP/AUD is calculated from the two US dollar legs in Federal Reserve H.10 cross rate (DEXUSUK ÷ DEXUSAL), joined on the same calendar date with up to seven days of holiday carry-forward. No figure on this page is estimated or interpolated.
GBP/AUD 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.
- 1992 1992-09-16
United Kingdom leaves the Exchange Rate Mechanism
Sustained speculative selling forced the United Kingdom to withdraw sterling from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on Black Wednesday.
- 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.
- 2016 2016-06-23
United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union
The Brexit referendum result triggered a sharp fall in sterling, which touched a 31-year low against the dollar in the following days.
GBP/AUD annual average, 1971 to 2026
Annual average with the full trading range for each year. average high–low range
Source: Federal Reserve H.10 cross rate (DEXUSUK ÷ DEXUSAL). Figures are annual averages of daily observations.
GBP to AUD 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 | 2.1513 | 2.1723 | 2.1428 | 2.1469 | n/a |
| 1972 | 2.1000 | 2.2200 | 1.8441 | 1.8442 | -14.1% |
| 1973 | 1.7325 | 1.9197 | 1.5536 | 1.5666 | -15.1% |
| 1974 | 1.6310 | 1.7938 | 1.4686 | 1.7720 | +13.1% |
| 1975 | 1.6971 | 1.8011 | 1.6070 | 1.6130 | -9.0% |
| 1976 | 1.4788 | 1.6534 | 1.2803 | 1.5620 | -3.2% |
| 1977 | 1.5744 | 1.6845 | 1.5287 | 1.6845 | +7.8% |
| 1978 | 1.6765 | 1.7752 | 1.6056 | 1.7752 | +5.4% |
| 1979 | 1.8992 | 2.0518 | 1.7499 | 2.0064 | +13.0% |
| 1980 | 2.0400 | 2.0905 | 1.9827 | 2.0222 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 1.7596 | 2.0487 | 1.5571 | 1.6977 | -16.1% |
| 1982 | 1.7209 | 1.8094 | 1.6415 | 1.6510 | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 1.6841 | 1.8172 | 1.5675 | 1.6191 | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 1.5191 | 1.6103 | 1.3960 | 1.4036 | -13.3% |
| 1985 | 1.8626 | 2.2004 | 1.3597 | 2.1194 | +51.0% |
| 1986 | 2.1950 | 2.5029 | 1.9388 | 2.2283 | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 2.3384 | 2.6395 | 2.2008 | 2.6122 | +17.2% |
| 1988 | 2.2809 | 2.6030 | 2.0570 | 2.1189 | -18.9% |
| 1989 | 2.0696 | 2.2028 | 1.9555 | 2.0455 | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 2.2847 | 2.5811 | 2.0509 | 2.4981 | +22.1% |
| 1991 | 2.2697 | 2.5671 | 2.0924 | 2.4575 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 2.4016 | 2.8100 | 2.1745 | 2.1959 | -10.6% |
| 1993 | 2.2100 | 2.3937 | 2.0160 | 2.1782 | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 2.0944 | 2.2226 | 1.9852 | 2.0205 | -7.2% |
| 1995 | 2.1320 | 2.2496 | 2.0241 | 2.0903 | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 1.9940 | 2.1555 | 1.8881 | 2.1555 | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 2.2086 | 2.5550 | 2.0038 | 2.5214 | +17.0% |
| 1998 | 2.6402 | 2.9593 | 2.3819 | 2.7157 | +7.7% |
| 1999 | 2.5069 | 2.6821 | 2.3348 | 2.4619 | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 2.6105 | 2.7997 | 2.4536 | 2.6897 | +9.3% |
| 2001 | 2.7873 | 3.0277 | 2.6243 | 2.8421 | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 2.7638 | 2.9601 | 2.5388 | 2.8613 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 2.5141 | 2.8380 | 2.3353 | 2.3726 | -17.1% |
| 2004 | 2.4918 | 2.6846 | 2.3417 | 2.4548 | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 2.3864 | 2.4877 | 2.2729 | 2.3411 | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 2.4460 | 2.5360 | 2.3343 | 2.4843 | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 2.3894 | 2.5414 | 2.2374 | 2.2611 | -9.0% |
| 2008 | 2.1847 | 2.6086 | 2.0352 | 2.0935 | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 1.9911 | 2.2591 | 1.7490 | 1.8005 | -14.0% |
| 2010 | 1.6824 | 1.8232 | 1.5191 | 1.5206 | -15.5% |
| 2011 | 1.5536 | 1.6434 | 1.4819 | 1.5157 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.5311 | 1.6161 | 1.4625 | 1.5647 | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 1.6215 | 1.8562 | 1.4420 | 1.8562 | +18.6% |
| 2014 | 1.8258 | 1.9204 | 1.7356 | 1.9060 | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 2.0359 | 2.1968 | 1.8462 | 2.0239 | +6.2% |
| 2016 | 1.8236 | 2.0830 | 1.5897 | 1.7064 | -15.7% |
| 2017 | 1.6809 | 1.7847 | 1.5990 | 1.7312 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 1.7864 | 1.8600 | 1.7176 | 1.8114 | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 1.8367 | 1.9428 | 1.7675 | 1.8875 | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.8634 | 2.0473 | 1.7521 | 1.7722 | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 1.8325 | 1.9101 | 1.7456 | 1.8595 | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 1.7791 | 1.9173 | 1.6553 | 1.7747 | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 1.8738 | 1.9923 | 1.7307 | 1.8663 | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 1.9378 | 2.0253 | 1.8656 | 2.0244 | +8.5% |
| 2025 | 2.0452 | 2.1392 | 1.9615 | 2.0163 | -0.4% |
| 2026 YTD | 1.9101 | 2.0169 | 1.8615 | 1.9037 | -5.6% |
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.
Highest and lowest GBP/AUD rates on record
Measured across 56 calendar years of annual data, 1971 to 2026.
GBP/AUD history: common questions
What was the GBP/AUD rate in 1971?
One GBP averaged 2.1513 AUD in 1971, with a range of 2.1428 to 2.1723 and a year-end rate of 2.1469.
What was the biggest single-year move in GBP/AUD?
1985 was the largest, at +51.0%. The year-end rate moved from 1.4036 to 2.1194.
What is the highest GBP/AUD rate on record?
The highest annual average was 2.7873 in 2001. The highest single observation was 3.0277 in 2001.
What is the lowest GBP/AUD rate on record?
The lowest annual average was 1.4788 in 1976. The lowest single observation was 1.2803 in 1976.
How is the GBP/AUD rate calculated?
This is a derived cross rate. Each day's GBP/AUD is calculated from the two US dollar legs in Federal Reserve H.10 cross rate (DEXUSUK ÷ DEXUSAL), joined on the same date.
What is the GBP/AUD rate in 2026?
The 2026 average is 1.9101 AUD per GBP, based on the year to date. The latest complete year, 2025, averaged 2.0452.
Query any GBP/AUD rate since 1971
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