The distribution of net wealth and wealth components by age in Australia, 1983 to 2025
Household wealth in Australia has grown strongly over the past two decades, supported by rising housing values, expanding superannuation balances and sustained asset price growth. But this growth has not been evenly distributed across the population or across the life course.
Understanding how wealth is distributed across age groups is essential for assessing economic security, retirement preparedness and emerging intergenerational pressures. It also helps explain how families respond to changes in tax settings, housing markets and retirement income policies.
This briefing examines the distribution of net worth and its key components across Australian age cohorts, with a particular focus on households aged 65 and over. Drawing on a combination of data sources through a nowcasting approach, our estimates align with official balance sheet totals while preserving the observed age patterns of wealth holdings.
The results reveal a striking shift in the wealth distribution as Australia’s population ages.
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre team acknowledges the Wadjuk Nyungar people as the traditional owners of the land on which the Centre is situated.