Australians aged 65 and over now outnumber children aged 0-14 for the first time in the country’s modern history, with 4.84 million seniors (17.5% of the population) recorded as of June 2025. Australia’s own Intergenerational Report, released September 21, 2026, projects the number of Australians aged 85 and older will triple by 2066, as life expectancy climbs to 81.1 years for men and 85.1 years for women.
Ageing Population in Australia 2026 – Introduction
Australia’s ageing population crossed a genuine demographic threshold in 2025: for the first time on record, the country now has more residents aged 65 and older than children aged under 15. That shift, driven by decades of declining fertility and steadily rising life expectancy, is reshaping everything from federal budget priorities to the aged care workforce, and the government’s own long-range modeling shows the pace of change accelerating rather than slowing down.
This report covers the full set of verified 2026 statistics behind Australia’s ageing population, from current senior population figures and life expectancy data to aged care spending, retirement income gaps, and the government’s newest 40-year projections. Understanding these numbers matters well beyond demography alone, since Australia’s aged care system, pension arrangements, and workforce planning are all now being actively redesigned around the reality of a population growing older faster than at any point in the nation’s history.
Interesting Facts About Australia’s Ageing Population in 2026
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Australians Aged 65+ (June 2025) | 4.84 million (17.5% of population) |
| Australians Aged 0-14 (June 2025) | 4.80 million (17.4%) — now fewer than 65+ |
| Life Expectancy, Men (2022-2024) | 81.1 years |
| Life Expectancy, Women (2022-2024) | 85.1 years |
| Government Aged Care Spending, FY2024-25 | $39.8 billion |
| Australians 85+ Projected to Triple By | 2066 |
| Old-Age Dependency Ratio | ~28% and rising |
| Women’s Superannuation Gap at Retirement (Ages 60-64) | ~25% less than men |
Data Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; Australian Government Intergenerational Report 2026
These figures describe a demographic transition that is both statistically dramatic and practically significant. The 65-and-over population overtaking the under-15 population, by 35,659 people as of June 2025, is a genuine first in Australia’s modern demographic record, and it arrived faster than several earlier government projections anticipated. That crossover reflects two forces moving in the same direction simultaneously: a record-low fertility rate producing fewer children, and rising life expectancy keeping more Australians alive well past traditional retirement age.
The $39.8 billion in annual government aged care spending, up 73% from $22.9 billion just seven years earlier, shows how quickly the fiscal cost of this shift has escalated. With the government’s own modeling now projecting the 85-and-over population will triple by 2066, the pressure on aged care, pension, and health systems is expected to intensify well beyond current levels over the coming four decades.
Australia’s Senior Population 2026 | How Many Older Australians There Are
AUSTRALIA'S 65+ POPULATION SHARE BY YEAR (%)
1970 ███ 8.3%
1995 █████ 12%
2020 ███████ 16%
2025 ████████ 17.5%
2066 (projected) ██████████████████████ 21-23%
| Year | 65+ Population | Share of Total Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.0 million | 8.3% |
| 1995 | 2.1 million | 12% |
| 2020 | 4.2 million | 16% |
| 2025 (June) | 4.84 million | 17.5% |
| 2056/2057 (projected) | 8.7-8.8 million | ~22% |
Data Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Older Australians Demographic Profile; Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australia’s senior population has grown nearly fivefold since 1970, when just 1.0 million Australians, 8.3% of the population, were aged 65 or older. That figure had climbed to 4.2 million (16%) by 2020 and reached 4.84 million (17.5%) by June 2025, with the working-age population (15-64) now representing 65.1% of all residents. Women make up a clear majority of Australia’s senior population: at the most recent detailed count, 53% of Australians 65 and older were women, reflecting a sex ratio of roughly 88 older men for every 100 older women, a gap driven by women’s longer average life expectancy.
Government projections put the 65-and-over share at somewhere between 21% and 23% of the total population by 2066, with some longer-range modeling suggesting the figure could reach 25% by 2096 if current trends persist. The pace of this shift traces back to Australia’s post-war baby boom: the roughly 4.19 million babies born between 1946 and 1965 have been turning 65 in waves between 2011 and 2030, a demographic bulge working its way through the population pyramid that partly explains why senior population growth has accelerated so sharply over the past 15 years.
Australia’s 85+ Population 2026 | The Fastest-Growing Age Group
AUSTRALIA'S 85+ POPULATION BY YEAR
1970 ██ 63,200
1995 ██████ 190,400
2020 ████████████████████ 528,000
2066 (projected) ████████████████████████████████████████ Triple current level
| Year | 85+ Population | Share of Total Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 63,200 | 0.5% |
| 1995 | 190,400 | 1.1% |
| 2020 | 528,000 | 2.1% |
| 2066 (projected) | ~3x current level | 3.6%-4.4% |
Data Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; Australian Government Intergenerational Report 2026
The 85-and-over population has grown faster than any other age segment in Australia over the past half-century, expanding more than eightfold from 63,200 people in 1970 to 528,000 by 2020. Between 2000 and 2016 alone, this age group grew by 141.2%, and even year-to-year growth has been substantial: the 85+ population climbed from 484,600 to 494,300, an increase of 9,700 people, in just the twelve months from 2016 to 2017.
Australia’s newest Intergenerational Report, released September 21, 2026, projects this group will triple in size by 2066, pushing its share of the total population from just over 2% today to somewhere between 3.6% and 4.4%. That growth matters disproportionately for aged care planning specifically, since Australians aged 85 and older make up the large majority of people using the most intensive forms of care, a pattern covered in more detail later in this report.
Life Expectancy in Australia 2026 | How Long Australians Are Living
LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH — AUSTRALIA, 2022-2024 (years)
Women ████████████████████████████████████████████ 85.1
Men ████████████████████████████████████████ 81.1
| Metric | 2022-2024 Figure |
|---|---|
| Life Expectancy at Birth, Men | 81.1 years |
| Life Expectancy at Birth, Women | 85.1 years |
| Gender Gap | 4.0 years |
| Remaining Life in Full Health (21-year-old male, 2024) | 52.2 years (85% of remaining life) |
Data Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Life Expectancy 2022-2024
Australians continue to rank among the longest-living populations in the world. The most recent ABS life tables put life expectancy at birth at 81.1 years for men and 85.1 years for women, a gap of 4.0 years that has narrowed gradually over recent decades as male life expectancy has improved at a faster rate than female life expectancy. For context on how these national figures compare across age brackets and demographic groups in more detail, see Life Expectancy in Australia.
Rising life expectancy alone does not guarantee more years in good health, a distinction health economists call “healthspan” versus lifespan. For a 21-year-old Australian male in 2024, health-adjusted life expectancy projections indicate he can expect to live roughly 52.2 years, or 85%, of his remaining life in full health, with the remaining 9.0 years, or 15%, spent managing chronic illness or disability. That gap between total years lived and years lived in good health is central to why aged care and healthcare demand continues climbing even faster than the headline senior population numbers alone would suggest.
Aged Care in Australia 2026 | Spending, Services & Who Uses What
GOVERNMENT AGED CARE SPENDING BY CATEGORY, FY2024-25
Residential Care ████████████████████████████████████████ 61%
Home Care & Support ████████████████████████ 32%
Flexible & Other Services ████ 7%
| Metric | FY2024-25 Figure |
|---|---|
| Total Government Aged Care Spending | $39.8 billion (+73% since FY2017-18) |
| Spending Per Person, Target Population | $7,900 (+39% since FY2017-18) |
| Australians Using Home Support (2021-22) | ~800,000 |
| Australians Using Home Care (June 2022) | 213,000 |
| Australians Using Residential Aged Care (June 2022) | 185,000 |
| Share of Residential Aged Care Users Aged 85+ | 59% |
Data Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Report on Government Services 2026; AIHW Older Australians Aged Care Data
Government spending on aged care has surged alongside the senior population itself, reaching $39.8 billion in FY2024-25, a 73% increase from $22.9 billion just seven years earlier, with spending per person in the target population climbing 39% over the same period to $7,900. Residential care absorbs 61% of that total spending, with home care and support services accounting for 32%, and flexible and other aged care services making up the remainder.
Most older Australians receiving aged care do so at home rather than in residential facilities: roughly 800,000 people used home support services in 2021-22, and 213,000 were using formal home care packages as of June 2022, compared with 185,000 in residential aged care. Residential care is concentrated heavily among the oldest Australians, with 59% of residential aged care users aged 85 or older, compared with just 41% of home care users and 30% of home support users in the same age bracket, confirming that the fastest-growing 85+ population segment is also the group placing the most intensive demands on the formal care system. The 2026 federal budget added a further $3 billion to the aged care sector, including funding for 5,000 additional beds per year and a $1 billion commitment to the Support at Home program launched in November 2025.
Retirement & Economic Security 2026 | Superannuation Gaps & Poverty
SUPERANNUATION GAP AT RETIREMENT (AGES 60-64)
Men ████████████████████████████████████████ Baseline
Women ██████████████████████████████ ~25% less
| Metric | 2025-2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Women’s Superannuation Shortfall vs. Men (Ages 60-64) | ~25% less |
| Older Australians Living in Poverty | More than 1 in 4 |
| Growth in Homelessness Among Older Women (2011-2021) | ~40% |
| Unpaid Caring/Volunteer Work Value, Australians 55+ | $74.5 billion/year |
| Older Workers (50+) Reporting Age Discrimination | Nearly 1 in 4 |
Data Source: Australian Human Rights Commission, Statistics About Older Australians; Australian Bureau of Statistics Retirement and Retirement Intentions
Economic security in retirement remains uneven across Australia’s senior population. Women aged 60-64 retire with roughly 25% less superannuation than men of the same age on average, a gap linked to lower lifetime earnings, career breaks for caregiving, and part-time work patterns. That gap compounds into broader financial insecurity: more than 1 in 4 older Australians live in poverty, and homelessness among older women grew by nearly 40% between 2011 and 2021, a trend advocacy groups link directly to the superannuation gap combined with rising housing costs.
Not every statistic in this space points toward hardship. Australians aged 55 and older contribute an estimated $74.5 billion annually in unpaid caring and volunteer work, a substantial, if largely uncounted, economic contribution that flows back into families and communities. At the same time, nearly 1 in 4 older working Australians report having experienced age discrimination in employment since turning 50, a barrier that complicates efforts to keep more seniors economically active for longer. For broader national population context behind these figures, see Population of Australia.
Australia’s Ageing Population by 2066 | Long-Term Projections
INTERGENERATIONAL REPORT 2026 — KEY LONG-TERM PROJECTIONS
85+ Population by 2066 Triple today's level
Total Population by 2066 ~40 million
Old-Age Dependency Ratio ~28% and rising
Deaths Exceed Births Projected by the 2060s
| Projection | Detail |
|---|---|
| Released | September 21, 2026 |
| 85+ Population by 2066 | Triple current levels |
| Total Population by 2066 | ~40 million |
| Deaths Exceeding Births Nationally | Projected by the 2060s (first time) |
| Old-Age Dependency Ratio | Currently ~28%, projected to keep rising |
Data Source: Australian Government, Intergenerational Report 2026
Australia’s fifth Intergenerational Report, released September 21, 2026, delivered the government’s starkest long-term ageing projections to date. Beyond the tripling of the 85-and-over population by 2066, the report marks the first edition in the series to project that national deaths will exceed births by the 2060s, a threshold driven by the combination of a record-low fertility rate and a rapidly growing elderly population. Treasurer Jim Chalmers described fertility as likely to decline “further and faster” than earlier reports anticipated.
The practical consequence of these trends shows up most clearly in the old-age dependency ratio, currently around 28% and rising, which measures how many retirement-age Australians exist for every working-age adult and directly shapes pension sustainability, aged care capacity, and healthcare system demand for decades to come. Despite the ageing trajectory, the report still projects Australia’s total population will reach almost 40 million by 2066, entirely on the strength of continued immigration rather than natural population growth, a dynamic explored in more detail in Australia Population Statistics.
Frequently Asked Questions About Australia’s Ageing Population in 2026
How many people in Australia are aged 65 and over?
4.84 million Australians, or 17.5% of the population, were aged 65 or older as of June 2025, now exceeding the number of children aged 0-14.
What is Australia’s life expectancy in 2026?
The most recent figures put life expectancy at 81.1 years for men and 85.1 years for women, based on 2022-2024 ABS life tables.
How fast is Australia’s 85+ population growing?
It has grown more than eightfold since 1970, from 63,200 to 528,000 by 2020, and the government’s 2026 Intergenerational Report projects it will triple again by 2066.
How much does the Australian government spend on aged care?
$39.8 billion in FY2024-25, a 73% increase from $22.9 billion just seven years earlier.
Do more older Australians use home care or residential care?
Home-based services are far more common: roughly 800,000 used home support in 2021-22, compared with 185,000 in residential aged care.
Is Australia’s population ageing faster than expected?
Yes. The country’s 65+ population now exceeds its under-15 population for the first time, and the 2026 Intergenerational Report projects deaths will exceed births nationally by the 2060s, a first for the report series.
How big is the gender gap in retirement savings?
Women aged 60-64 retire with roughly 25% less superannuation than men of the same age on average.
What percentage of older Australians live in poverty?
More than 1 in 4 older Australians live in poverty, according to Australian Human Rights Commission data.
What is Australia’s old-age dependency ratio?
Approximately 28% and rising, meaning there are roughly 28 retirement-age Australians for every 100 working-age adults.
How much unpaid work do older Australians contribute?
Australians aged 55 and older contribute an estimated $74.5 billion annually in unpaid caring and volunteer work.
Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.