$100 in 1941 is worth $3,607.14 in 2012

Value of $100 from 1941 to 2012

$100 in 1941 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3,607.14 in 2012, an increase of $3,507.14 over 71 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 5.18% per year between 1941 and 2012, producing a cumulative price increase of 3,507.14%.

This means that prices in 2012 are 36.07 times as high as average prices since 1941, according to the Bureau of Statistics consumer price index.

The inflation rate in 1941 was 3.70%. The inflation rate in 2012 was 1.71%. The 2012 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 2.47% per year between 2012 and 2024.


Inflation from 1941 to 2012
Cumulative price change3,507.14%
Average inflation rate5.18%
Converted amount
$100 base
$3,607.14
Price difference
$100 base
$3,507.14
CPI in 19412.800
CPI in 2012101.000
Inflation in 19413.70%
Inflation in 20121.71%
$100 in 1941$3,607.14 in 2012

AUD inflation since 1941
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Statistics CPI
Download

Buying power of $100 in 1941

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1941 (price index tracking began in 1922).

For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $3,607.14 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").

When $100 is equivalent to $3,607.14 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single Australian dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1941 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 71 years.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, each of these AUD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Dollar inflation: 1941-2012
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1941$100.003.70%
1942$110.7110.71%
1943$114.293.23%
1944$114.290.00%
1945$114.290.00%
1946$114.290.00%
1947$121.436.25%
1948$132.148.82%
1949$142.868.11%
1950$157.1410.00%
1951$185.7118.18%
1952$217.8617.31%
1953$228.574.92%
1954$232.141.56%
1955$235.711.54%
1956$250.006.06%
1957$257.142.86%
1958$257.140.00%
1959$264.292.78%
1960$275.004.05%
1961$278.571.30%
1962$278.570.00%
1963$282.141.28%
1964$289.292.53%
1965$300.003.70%
1966$307.142.38%
1967$317.863.49%
1968$328.573.37%
1969$339.293.26%
1970$350.003.16%
1971$371.436.12%
1972$392.865.77%
1973$428.579.09%
1974$496.4315.83%
1975$571.4315.11%
1976$646.4313.13%
1977$725.0012.15%
1978$782.147.88%
1979$853.579.13%
1980$942.8610.46%
1981$1,032.149.47%
1982$1,146.4311.07%
1983$1,264.2910.28%
1984$1,314.293.95%
1985$1,400.006.52%
1986$1,528.579.18%
1987$1,657.148.41%
1988$1,778.577.33%
1989$1,910.717.43%
1990$2,053.577.48%
1991$2,117.863.13%
1992$2,139.291.01%
1993$2,175.001.67%
1994$2,217.861.97%
1995$2,321.434.67%
1996$2,382.142.62%
1997$2,389.290.30%
1998$2,407.140.75%
1999$2,442.861.48%
2000$2,553.574.53%
2001$2,664.294.34%
2002$2,746.433.08%
2003$2,821.432.73%
2004$2,885.712.28%
2005$2,964.292.72%
2006$3,067.863.49%
2007$3,139.292.33%
2008$3,278.574.44%
2009$3,335.711.74%
2010$3,432.142.89%
2011$3,546.433.33%
2012$3,607.141.71%
2013$3,696.432.48%
2014$3,789.292.51%
2015$3,846.431.51%
2016$3,896.431.30%
2017$3,971.431.92%
2018$4,046.431.89%
2019$4,110.711.59%
2020$4,146.430.87%
2021$4,264.292.84%
2022$4,546.436.62%
2023$4,782.145.18%
2024$4,832.141.05%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.
Click to show 65 more rows

This conversion table shows various other 1941 amounts in 2012 dollars, based on the 3,507.14% change in prices:

Conversion: 1941 dollars in 2012
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1 dollar in 1941$36.07 dollars in 2012
$5 dollars in 1941$180.36 dollars in 2012
$10 dollars in 1941$360.71 dollars in 2012
$50 dollars in 1941$1,803.57 dollars in 2012
$100 dollars in 1941$3,607.14 dollars in 2012
$500 dollars in 1941$18,035.71 dollars in 2012
$1,000 dollars in 1941$36,071.43 dollars in 2012
$5,000 dollars in 1941$180,357.14 dollars in 2012
$10,000 dollars in 1941$360,714.29 dollars in 2012
$50,000 dollars in 1941$1,803,571.43 dollars in 2012
$100,000 dollars in 1941$3,607,142.86 dollars in 2012
$500,000 dollars in 1941$18,035,714.29 dollars in 2012
$1,000,000 dollars in 1941$36,071,428.57 dollars in 2012

How to calculate inflation rate for $100, 1941 to 2012

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1941 and 2012:

CPI in 2012 CPI in 1941
×
1941 AUD value
=
2012 AUD value

Then plug in historical CPI values. The Australian CPI was 2.8 in the year 1941 and 101 in 2012:

1012.8
×
$100
=
$3,607.14

$100 in 1941 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $3,607.14 in 2012.

To get the total inflation rate for the 71 years between 1941 and 2012, we use the following formula:

CPI in 2012 - CPI in 1941CPI in 1941
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (71 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

101 - 2.82.8
×
100
=
3,507%

Data source & citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from the government of Australia's annual (CPI) as provided by the Reserve Bank of Australia. The consumer price index was established in 1922 and is tracked by Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “1941 dollars in 2012 | Australia Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/1941-AUD-in-2012.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.


Ian Webster

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.

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Inflation from 1941 to 2012
Cumulative price change3,507.14%
Average inflation rate5.18%
Converted amount
$100 base
$3,607.14
Price difference
$100 base
$3,507.14
CPI in 19412.800
CPI in 2012101.000
Inflation in 19413.70%
Inflation in 20121.71%
$100 in 1941$3,607.14 in 2012