# Economic impact of unpaid household labor > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/economic-impact-of-unpaid-household-labor > Updated: 2026-09-21T21:07:48.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2. Reports from Australia and the United States highlight the significant economic scale and societal impact of unpaid household labor, such as caregiving, cooking, and cleaning. In Australia, analyses indicate that approximately 31 billion hours of unpaid work are performed annually. If valued at market wages, this labor would be worth roughly $1 trillion, or about 37 per cent of the nation’s GDP. Research emphasizes a gender disparity, noting that women perform 1.4 to 1.8 times more unpaid work than men, which is linked to reduced workforce participation and potential lifetime earnings gaps. In the United States, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report estimates the value of unpaid household labor at up to $6 trillion annually, representing approximately one-fifth of the nation’s GDP. Economists warn that excluding these activities from official GDP calculations can distort perceptions of economic growth and living standards, as the transition of individuals into the formal workforce often results in a loss of domestic labor that is not captured in conventional growth metrics. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-21: Unpaid household labor valued at $6 trillion annually A GAO report estimates unpaid household labor in the US is worth $6 trillion annually, or one-fifth of GDP, noting that excluding these tasks distorts official economic growth and productivity metrics. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/unpaid-household-labor-valued-at-6-trillion-annually ### 2026-09-06: Australia's unpaid labour reaches 31 billion hours annually Australians perform 31 billion hours of unpaid labour annually, a workload exceeding all paid industries combined. The work, largely done by women, is estimated to be worth $1 trillion if valued at market wages 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/australias-unpaid-labour-reaches-31-billion-hours-annually --- Cite as: Economic impact of unpaid household labor. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/economic-impact-of-unpaid-household-labor