ATO & APRA Data, the Gender Super Gap, and How You Compare to the Benchmarks
Australians are curious about how they compare. Whether it’s salary, property prices, or superannuation, the question of “where do I stand relative to everyone else?” is one of the most searched financial questions in the country.
This article answers it for superannuation — with actual data. We draw on the most recent Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Taxation Statistics, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) Quarterly Superannuation Statistics (December 2025), and ASFA’s Retirement Standard (March 2026) to show you exactly how superannuation balances look across every decade of Australian working life.
Fair warning: the data is sobering. Most Australians at most ages are significantly behind the benchmarks required for a comfortable retirement funded primarily from super. But the data is also honest about why — the SG rate only reached 12% in July 2025, women carry a structural disadvantage that has widened in the last decade, and the system was never designed to replace the Age Pension entirely. Understanding these dynamics is the first step to acting on them.
• National average super balance: approximately $172,834 (all ages combined, ATO / ASFA) • National median super balance: approximately $60,037 - far below the average due to skew from high-balance members • Average balance, ages 60–64: ~$395,000 (men ~$448,000; women ~$340,000) • Median balance, ages 60–64: ~$163,000–$205,000 depending on source and methodology • ASFA comfortable retirement target (single homeowner, 67): $630,000 • Gender super gap at ages 60–64: approximately 26% - widened in the last decade • Super Guarantee rate from 1 July 2025: 12% of ordinary time earnings
1. Why Average and Median Are Different – and Why It Matters
Before diving into the data, one crucial distinction: the difference between average (mean) and median superannuation balances is large, and using the wrong one will give you a distorted picture of where you stand.
The average balance is calculated by adding up all super balances and dividing by the number of people. It is pulled upward significantly by a relatively small number of Australians with very high balances – those with SMSFs, long careers on high incomes, or decades of maximum voluntary contributions. A handful of people with $2 million+ in super lift the average for everyone.
The median balance – the point at which half of Australians have more and half have less – is a far more honest comparison. It is not distorted by the high end of the distribution and reflects the reality of the typical Australian saver.
For example: the average super balance across all Australians is approximately $172,834. The median is approximately $60,037 – less than 35% of the average. This means the typical Australian has a super balance dramatically lower than the headline figure, because a small group of high-balance members pulls the average up.
ATO Taxation Statistics: based on all superannuation members, including SMSFs, reported at individual level via tax returns. Generally the most representative source for individual comparison. APRA Quarterly Statistics: based on APRA-regulated funds only (industry, retail, and corporate funds). Excludes SMSFs, which tend to have higher balances. Produces lower average figures than ATO data, but is updated more frequently. Both sources are valid - they measure different populations. This article uses ATO data as the primary reference for individual comparison, supplemented by APRA data where more current.
2. Average Superannuation Balances by Age Group – 2026 Data
The table below combines ATO Taxation Statistics (2022–23, the most recently published band-level data as at mid-2026) and APRA Quarterly Superannuation Statistics (December 2025) with ASFA on-track benchmarks. Average figures have been rounded for readability.
Age group | Avg balance (men) | Avg balance (women) | Median (combined) | ASFA on-track target* | Gap (median vs target) |
25–29 | ~$29,000 | ~$22,000 | ~$18,000 | ~$40,000 | −$22,000 |
30–34 | ~$53,000 | ~$40,000 | ~$33,000 | ~$75,000 | −$42,000 |
35–39 | ~$90,000 | ~$65,000 | ~$60,000 | ~$120,000 | −$60,000 |
40–44 | ~$131,000 | ~$92,000 | ~$80,000 | ~$185,000 | −$105,000 |
45–49 | ~$175,000 | ~$122,000 | ~$115,000 | ~$270,000 | −$155,000 |
50–54 | ~$222,000 | ~$155,000 | ~$150,000 | ~$370,000 | −$220,000 |
55–59 | ~$315,000 | ~$215,000 | ~$203,000 | ~$460,000 | −$257,000 |
60–64 | ~$448,000 | ~$340,000 | ~$185,000 | ~$560,000 | −$375,000 |
65–69 | ~$448,000 | ~$392,000 | ~$218,000 | $630,000 (target) | n/a |
Sources: ATO Taxation Statistics 2022–23 (latest published band-level data as at June 2026); APRA Quarterly Superannuation Statistics December 2025; ASFA Retirement Standard March 2026. Average figures are approximate and have been compiled from multiple published sources – individual source methodologies vary. Median estimates are based on ATO distribution data. *ASFA on-track target is an indicative figure based on ASFA modelling for a single homeowner targeting a comfortable retirement at 67, assuming 12% SG and 7% nominal investment return. These are general benchmarks – not personalised advice.
Several things stand out from this data immediately. The gap between average and median balloons dramatically from the 50s onwards – in the 60–64 age group, the average (~$395,000 combined) is nearly double the median (~$185,000). This is the compounding effect of decades of high-balance members pulling the average upward. If you’re comparing yourself against the average, you may be setting a misleading target.
Second: the median balance at every age group is well below the ASFA on-track benchmark for a comfortable retirement. A 50-year-old at the median ($150,000) would need to accumulate approximately $480,000 more by age 67 – a challenge, but not an impossible one given 17 years of compounding at 12% SG and investment returns.
3. Why Most Australians Are Behind the Benchmarks – And Why That’s By Design
Looking at the table above, the natural reaction is concern. Nearly every age group shows a median well below the ASFA comfortable retirement target. But context matters enormously here.
The SG Rate Was Much Lower for Most of Modern History
The Superannuation Guarantee started in 1992 at 3% and only reached 12% on 1 July 2025. A 55-year-old today spent their first 20 years of super accumulation receiving contributions of 3–9%, not 12%. The compounding impact of those lower rates is enormous.
To illustrate: an employee earning $80,000 per year for 30 years with 9% SG and 7% nominal annual returns would accumulate approximately $570,000. The same employee with 12% SG from the start would accumulate approximately $760,000. That 3 percentage point difference translates to nearly $200,000 in retirement savings – a gap that no amount of voluntary contribution can fully make up for workers who spent their prime earning years under the lower rate.
Today’s generation of workers in their 20s and 30s are the first to benefit from 12% SG contributions for their entire career. Their retirement outcomes will likely look materially different from the data we see today.
The System Was Never Designed to Replace the Age Pension Entirely
Australia’s retirement income system is a three-pillar structure: compulsory superannuation, voluntary savings, and the Age Pension. The super system was designed to complement the Age Pension, not replace it. For most Australians, a combination of moderate super savings plus a full or partial Age Pension produces an adequate retirement income.
This is why the ASFA comfortable retirement target ($630,000 for a single homeowner) explicitly assumes the retiree receives a partial Age Pension. It’s not a pure super target – it’s a net-of-pension target. The implied total retirement funding at that balance is considerably higher when the Age Pension supplement is included.
A median 60–64 year old with $185,000 in super will receive a near-full Age Pension from 67 ($31,223 per year for singles), which will fund a modest lifestyle without requiring significant super drawdown. The median Australian is not destitute in retirement – they are reliant on a combination of modest super and meaningful government support.
A single homeowner at the median balance of $185,000 at age 63, retiring at 67 with 4 more years of 12% SG contributions and 7% returns, might retire with approximately $245,000–$260,000. At a 4% drawdown that's ~$10,000 per year from super. Combined with a near-full Age Pension of ~$31,000, total income is approximately $41,000 per year - above ASFA's 'modest' benchmark of $35,199 for a single homeowner. The median Australian isn't headed for destitution. But they're also well short of the comfortable lifestyle that most people aspire to.
Compulsory Super Is Still Only 33 Years Old
Compulsory superannuation began in 1992. A worker who entered the workforce in 1975 at age 20 received no compulsory super contributions for their first 17 working years. Today’s 67-year-old retirees have, at most, 33 years of compulsory contributions – many have far fewer because they were already part-way through their careers when the SG began. The system hasn’t had time to reach full maturity.
Modelling by the Grattan Institute and others suggests that as the system matures – with today’s 25-year-olds retiring in 2065 with 40+ years of full SG contributions – the proportion of Australians self-funding retirement will increase markedly.
4. The Gender Super Gap: The Most Significant Structural Inequality in Australian Retirement
The data in Section 2 shows a consistent and substantial gap between male and female super balances at every age. But the headline numbers understate what’s actually happening. In the 60–64 age group – the cohort closest to retirement – the gender super gap now stands at approximately 26%, and it has been widening, not narrowing, in the last decade.
According to the Super Members Council’s analysis of new ATO data published in June 2026: median super balances for men aged 60–64 rose to approximately $236,000, while women’s median balances rose to approximately $175,000 – a gap of $61,000. A decade ago, that gap was $40,000. Despite women actually making more frequent personal contributions than men (11.6% vs 10%), the structural gap continues to compound.
Why the Gap Exists
- The gender pay gap: Australian women earn approximately 86 cents for every dollar men earn, according to full-time adult average weekly earnings data (ABS, May 2025). That is $317 less per week, or $16,484 less per year – and every dollar of lower earnings translates directly into lower SG contributions over a lifetime.
- Career breaks: Women are substantially more likely to take career breaks for caregiving – for children, ageing parents, or other family members. Super contributions stop or reduce during these periods, and the compounding loss is permanent. Even a 2–3 year career break in the 30s can cost $30,000–50,000 in retirement savings.
- Part-time and casual work: Women account for approximately 68% of part-time workers in Australia (ABS data). Part-time work means proportionally lower SG contributions and reduced capacity for voluntary contributions.
- Occupational segregation: Women are overrepresented in caring professions – nursing, teaching, childcare, aged care – which are systematically lower-paid than male-dominated occupations requiring comparable qualifications. This is not simply a matter of individual choice.
- Longer life expectancy: Women live longer than men on average (median age of death 88.9 for women vs 85.9 for men). Less super, held for longer, compounds the adequacy problem.
What’s Changing
From 1 July 2025, super is now payable on Commonwealth Paid Parental Leave – a policy change specifically designed to reduce the gap. Modelling by the Super Members Council suggests this change could leave a mother of two approximately $12,500–$14,500 better off at retirement. Meaningful, but not transformative in isolation.
Payday super (effective 1 July 2026) also disproportionately benefits women in lower-paid and casual roles, where employer non-compliance has historically been most common. Paying super at the same time as wages significantly reduces the risk of unpaid contributions.
These are positive structural changes. But Roy Morgan research estimates that at the current pace of narrowing, it would take approximately 50 years for average male and female super balances to converge. The gap will not be closed by policy changes alone within most women’s working lifetimes.
Women retire with less super and live longer than men. A 67-year-old woman has a median age of death of approximately 89 - meaning she should plan for 22+ years of retirement income. With 25–30% less super than a man of the same age, she is funding a longer retirement from a smaller pool. This is the core demographic reality of the gender super gap, and it makes the case for earlier and more deliberate planning - and policy change - more urgent than any other cohort.
5. What the Data Actually Looks Like – Decade by Decade
Your 20s: Starting From Zero
Super balances in the 20s are modest by necessity. The average 25–29-year-old has approximately $25,000–29,000 (men) and $22,000 (women); the median is around $18,000. These are not alarming numbers – they are the natural result of 3–5 years of 12% SG contributions on entry-level salaries.
What matters in the 20s is not the absolute balance but the habits: making sure super is actually being paid by employers, consolidating multiple accounts from casual or part-time jobs, and understanding how investment options work. Switching from a default ‘balanced’ option to a high-growth option in your 20s and maintaining it through your 40s is one of the highest-leverage decisions you can make at this stage – but also one of the least appreciated.
The difference between a balanced fund returning 6.5% and a high-growth fund returning 8% over 40 years on a starting balance of $20,000 with 12% SG contributions on a $65,000 salary is approximately $180,000–$220,000 in additional retirement savings. Investment option selection in your 20s has more impact than most people realise, simply because of the time horizon over which the difference compounds.
Your 30s: The Career and Family Decade
Super balances grow more meaningfully in the 30s, driven by higher salaries and accumulating years of contributions. The average for men rises to approximately $90,000 by 35–39; for women, $65,000. The median is approximately $60,000.
The 30s are also the decade where the gender super gap becomes clearly visible. Women in their 30s are most likely to take career breaks for parenting, reduce to part-time work, or change to lower-paid roles to accommodate family responsibilities. Each year out of the workforce at a median salary of $70,000 represents approximately $8,400 in foregone SG contributions, plus the compounding return on those contributions over the remaining 30+ years – a true cost of approximately $40,000–60,000 per year of career break by retirement.
The 30s are also the decade when spouse contributions and the government co-contribution can make meaningful differences for lower-earning partners. A spouse contribution of $3,000 per year to a partner earning under $40,000 qualifies the contributing spouse for an 18% tax offset ($540) while building the lower-earning partner’s balance at a critical time.
Your 40s: The Compounding Decade
The 40s are where compound returns start to do serious work. Average balances for men reach approximately $131,000 at 40–44 and $175,000 by 45–49; for women, $92,000 and $122,000 respectively. The median climbs to approximately $80,000–$115,000 across the decade.
The gap relative to the ASFA on-track target is typically largest in the 40s in absolute dollar terms – a 45-year-old at the median ($115,000) needs to reach $270,000 to be on track for a comfortable retirement, a shortfall of $155,000. This doesn’t mean they’re doomed; a 45-year-old has 22 years of contributions and investment returns ahead of them. But it does mean that voluntary contributions in the 40s, when salaries are often at or approaching their peak, are highly valuable.
Salary sacrifice is the primary tool for this age group. On a $100,000 salary with a 34.5% marginal rate, each $1,000 extra into super costs approximately $648 in take-home pay but adds $850 after contributions tax – an immediate 31% return before investment returns.
Your 50s: The Crucial Decade
The 50s are arguably the most important decade for retirement planning. Average balances reach $222,000 (men) and $155,000 (women) at 50–54, and $315,000 (men) and $215,000 (women) by 55–59. Medians are $150,000 and $203,000 across the decade.
For most people, the 50s are peak earning years with lower household expenses (children finishing school or leaving home, mortgages approaching payoff). This combination – high income, lower outgoings, maximum contribution window – makes the 50s the single most powerful decade for catching up. A 55-year-old who salary sacrifices $25,000 per year above their SG for 10 years, earning 7% returns, adds approximately $350,000 to their retirement balance.
Carry-forward concessional contributions are particularly powerful here. If your super balance was below $500,000 on 30 June of any recent year, you can access unused concessional cap from the prior 5 financial years – potentially allowing a single large deductible contribution to simultaneously boost super and reduce income tax.
For those approaching 60, the downsizer contribution – up to $300,000 per person from the sale of a family home – can provide a significant final boost without counting against the normal contribution caps.
Your 60s: Final Accumulation and the Transition
Super balances peak in the early 60s as contributions continue but drawdown hasn’t yet started for most. Average balances reach approximately $448,000 (men) and $340,000 (women) at ages 60–64, with a combined median of approximately $185,000. By 65–69, as drawdown begins, the average starts to moderate.
This is the decade of planning, not panicking. Even with a median balance well below the ASFA target, a 63-year-old has 4 more years of SG contributions, potential final salary sacrifice and carry-forward contributions, and will receive a meaningful Age Pension from 67 to supplement drawdown. The median balance at 60–64 is not a sentence to an uncomfortable retirement – it’s a starting point for a carefully structured final accumulation and drawdown strategy.
6. Super Balance Percentiles at Ages 55–64
Understanding where you sit in the distribution – not just relative to the average or median, but across the full range – provides a more useful comparison. The table below shows estimated super balance percentiles for Australians aged 55–64, the cohort closest to retirement.
Percentile | Approx. balance (55–64 combined) | What it means |
10th percentile | ~$30,000 | Bottom 10%: minimal accumulation |
25th percentile | ~$100,000 | Lower quartile: well below comfortable target |
50th percentile (median) | ~$185,000 | Exactly middle: majority funded by Age Pension |
75th percentile | ~$380,000 | Upper quartile: approaching but below ASFA target |
90th percentile | ~$600,000 | Near or at ASFA comfortable target |
95th percentile | ~$900,000+ | Top 5%: self-funded with minimal Age Pension |
Estimated percentiles based on ATO distribution data and APRA statistics. Exact distribution is not publicly reported at the percentile level – these are indicative estimates. Source: APRA and ATO data as cited in Wealthvieu, Illuminvest, and WealthWorks analysis (2025–26). ASFA comfortable single homeowner target: $630,000 (March 2026).
Fewer than 25% of Australians aged 55–64 have enough super to fund a comfortable retirement at 67 purely from super, independent of the Age Pension. That means more than three-quarters of pre-retirees in their peak saving years will need government income support in retirement - either a full or partial Age Pension - to meet ASFA's comfortable standard. This is not a personal failure; it's the reality of a system that is still maturing and was designed with the Age Pension as an integral part of the income mix.
7. What to Do If You’re Behind the Average – Practical Strategies by Age
Comparing yourself to the average or median is informative, but it’s a peer comparison, not a retirement adequacy assessment. What matters is not whether you’re above or below the average – it’s whether your total retirement income from all sources will fund the life you want.
That said, if the data above tells you that you’re behind where you’d like to be, here are the most impactful actions at each life stage.
In Your 30s
- Consolidate multiple super accounts – losing fees to two or three accounts from old jobs is a common drag on balances
- Check your employer is paying super correctly – the ATO estimates billions in unpaid SG each year
- Switch to a higher-growth investment option if you’re in the default – you have 30+ years to ride out volatility
- Explore spouse contributions if your partner has lower earnings or has taken a career break
- Make personal after-tax contributions to access the government co-contribution (up to $500 per year if income is below $43,445)
In Your 40s
- Start salary sacrificing if you aren’t already – the tax saving at marginal rates in the 40s is substantial
- Review your investment option – many people in their 40s are in balanced funds when high-growth would better suit their horizon
- Use the online myGov ATO tool to check for lost super
- If your partner has a lower super balance, explore contribution splitting – up to 85% of concessional contributions can be transferred
In Your 50s
- Maximise salary sacrifice up to the $32,500 concessional cap from 1 July 2026
- Use carry-forward concessional contributions to access unused cap from prior years if your balance is below $500,000
- Plan your downsizer contribution if you’re considering selling the family home – up to $300,000 per person from age 55, outside normal caps
- Get a professional retirement income projection – the 50s are the last decade with enough time to materially change the outcome
Approaching or In Your 60s
- Model the Age Pension interaction – your final balance and income structure significantly affects your pension entitlement from 67
- Consider a Transition to Retirement strategy if you want to reduce hours while building super
- Check your Centrelink eligibility at 67 using the Services Australia online estimator
- Review your insurance inside super – many retirees carry life and TPD insurance they no longer need, paying premiums that erode the balance
- Engage a financial planner to structure the accumulation-to-drawdown transition – this is where errors cost the most
How Does Your Super Compare?
The data in this article paints a clear picture: most Australians are behind the comfortable retirement benchmarks, the median is far below the average, and the gender gap is widening rather than narrowing. None of this makes a comfortable retirement impossible – but it does make informed planning essential.
At LIFE Financial Planners in Perth, we help Australians across all age groups understand where they actually stand – not just relative to the average, but relative to the retirement they want – and build strategies to close the gap. Whether you’re 35 with a question about investment options or 58 with a decade to make the biggest difference of your financial life, the conversation starts with the numbers.
Call us on (08) 9322 1882 or email admin@lifefinancialplanners.com to book an obligation-free conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average superannuation balance in Australia in 2026?
The average (mean) super balance across all Australians is approximately $172,834, based on the latest ASFA research drawing on ATO Taxation Statistics. However, this figure is significantly skewed by a small number of very high-balance accounts. The median balance – the midpoint of the distribution – is approximately $60,037. At ages 65–69, the average combined balance is approximately $420,000, but the median for this group is closer to $218,000.
How much super does the average 60-year-old have in Australia?
For the 60–64 age group, the average super balance is approximately $448,000 for men and $340,000 for women (combined average approximately $395,000). The median, which is a more accurate measure of where the typical Australian sits, is approximately $163,000–$205,000 depending on the data source. The ASFA comfortable retirement benchmark for a single homeowner at age 67 is $630,000 – meaning the average 60-year-old is significantly below that target, and the median is well below it.
Is the average Australian on track to retire comfortably?
No – at least not on the standard definition of ‘comfortable’ as set by ASFA. Fewer than 25% of Australians aged 55–64 have superannuation above the ASFA comfortable single retirement target of $630,000. Most Australians will retire on a combination of moderate super and a full or partial Age Pension. For many, this produces an income above ASFA’s ‘modest’ threshold but below the ‘comfortable’ level. Whether that’s adequate depends entirely on individual lifestyle expectations and whether you own your home.
Why do women have less superannuation than men?
The gender super gap at ages 60–64 stands at approximately 26% in 2026, and has been widening in the last decade. The primary causes are structural: the gender pay gap (women earn approximately 86 cents per dollar of men’s earnings), career breaks for caregiving responsibilities, higher rates of part-time and casual employment, and occupational segregation into lower-paid industries. From July 2025, super is now paid on Commonwealth Paid Parental Leave – a policy change that will partially reduce but not eliminate the gap. Women also live longer than men on average, making retirement adequacy a more acute challenge.
How do I find my lost super?
The ATO estimates there are billions of dollars in lost and unclaimed super accounts held in Australian super funds and transferred to the ATO from inactive accounts. You can search for lost super through your myGov account, which links to the ATO’s online services. The ATO will attempt to automatically consolidate lost super into your active account. If you have worked multiple jobs over your career, there’s a reasonable chance you have at least one dormant account you’ve forgotten about.
This article contains general information only and does not take into account your personal financial situation, needs, or objectives. All superannuation balance data is drawn from publicly available sources including ATO Taxation Statistics 2022–23, APRA Quarterly Superannuation Statistics (December 2025), ASFA Retirement Standard (March 2026), and secondary analyses citing those sources. Average and median figures are approximate and may vary across sources due to different methodologies and population definitions. ASFA on-track benchmarks are indicative estimates based on ASFA modelling assumptions - they are not personalised targets. Gender gap statistics drawn from ATO data via Super Members Council analysis (June 2026) and ASFA research. This is not personal financial advice. LIFE Financial Planners holds AFSL 296 182.
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