Statistics about older Australians

15/08/2025

Older Australians provide enormous contributions to Australia's society, culture, communities, workplaces and economy. Yet for some older Australians the story is very different, with many experiencing increased levels of economic stress, including housing vulnerability and an increasing risk of abuse. Ageism and age discrimination continue to create barriers to older people's full and equal enjoyment of their human rights.

Life expectancy

• On average, people in Australia enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
  • men 2020-2022: 81 years
  • women 2020-2022: 85 years^[1]
• However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience a lower life expectancy.
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men 2020-2022: 72 years
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women 2020-2022: 76 years^[2]

Demographics and ageing population

• More than 16% of people in Australia are aged 65 and over:
  • women over 65: 2.2 million
  • men over 65: 2 million^[3]
• This is expected to increase to almost 1 in 4 (4.5 million) by 2066.^[4]
• But only around 6% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are over 65 years of age.^[5]
• 1 in 5 older Australians were born in countries where English is not the first language.^[6]
• 18% speak a language other than English at home. The most common languages spoken are:
  • Italian
  • Chinese (including both Cantonese and Mandarin)
  • Greek^[7]

Workforce participation

• Australians are increasingly working to older ages. Workforce participation of people aged 65 years and over:
  • 2001: 6%
  • 2021: 15%^[8]
• Of these older workers, 3 in 5 are men and 2 in 5 are women.^[9]

Financial and housing security

• 58% of Australians aged 65 and over receive the Age Pension.^[10]
• While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up almost 4% of the population in Australia,^[11] they make up only around 1% of people accessing the Age Pension.^[12]
• More than 1 in 4 older Australians live in poverty.^[13]
• On average, women aged 60-64 retire with about 25% less superannuation compared to men the same age.^[14]
• Housing insecurity has become increasingly widespread among older women.^[15]
• From 2011 – 2021, the rate of homelessness among older women grew by almost 40%.^[16]

Unpaid carer and volunteer work

• Australians aged 55 years and over contribute $74.5 billion each year in unpaid caring and voluntary work.^[17]

Ageism and elder abuse

• Nearly 1 in 4 older working Australians have experienced age discrimination in employment since turning 50.^[18]
• 64% of older Australians say they have been affected by ageism in the last 5 years.^[19]
• Around 1 in 6 older people in Australia experience elder abuse in a given year. Psychological abuse is the most commonly reported type, followed by neglect and financial abuse.^[20]
• 1 in 2 perpetrators of elder abuse is a family member, with adult children the most likely to commit abuse.^[21]

Downloads

• Older Australians fact sheet PDF (158 KB)
• Older Australians fact sheet Word (67 KB)

Suggested citation

Australian Human Rights Commission. (2025). Stats & Facts: Older Australians.

References

[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023, November 8). Life expectancy – Key statistics.

[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023, November 29). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy – Key statistics. Men: 71.9 years, women: 75.6 years. It is important to note First Nations people are undercounted in census data, so these numbers are approximate.

[3] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Older Australians – Demographic profile 2020, June 30. 16% = 4.2 million. 2.2 million = 53%.

[4] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Older Australians – Demographic profile 2020, June 30. Original figure: 528,000 (2.1% of Australians). 3% = 3.6%. 4% = 4.4%.

[5] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022, July 1). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population summary. It is important to note First Nations people are undercounted in census data, so these numbers are approximate.

[6] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Older Australians – Culturally and linguistically diverse older people. 1 in 5 = 20%. Older Australians = aged 65 years and over.

[7] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Older Australians – Culturally and linguistically diverse older people.

[8] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Older Australians – Employment and work.

[9] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Older Australians – Employment and work. 3 in 5 = 61%. 2 in 5 = 39%.

[10] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Income support for older Australians. Australian Government, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

[11] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023, August 31). Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Almost 4% = 3.8%.

[12] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023, September 07). Income and finance of First Nations people.

[13] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2009). Pensions at a Glance 2009: Retirement-Income systems in OECD countries. p. 63.

[14] Clare, R. (2023). An update on superannuation account balances. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, pp. 8 – 9.

[15] Australian Human Rights Commission. (2019). Older Women's Risk of Homelessness: Background Paper.

[16] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Specialist homelessness services annual report 2022 – 2023.

[17] Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2003). Measuring the value of unpaid household, caring and voluntary work of older Australians.

[18] Polidoras, A., Banks, C., Toner, K., & Diseris, I. (2023). State of the Older Nation 2023. Councils on the Ageing Federation, p. 5. Nearly 1 in 4 = 24%.

[19] Australian Human Rights Commission. (2021). What's Age Got To Do With It?.p. 37.

[20] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Family, domestic and sexual violence – Older people. 1 in 6 = 15%.

[21] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Family, domestic and sexual violence – Older people. 1 in 2 = 53%.