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Profile of wealth holdings of wealth groups

Wealth inequalityInequalityComponents of wealth

This graph shows the components of wealth for each wealth group. The profile of assets held changes as we move up the household wealth scale. 

2017-18: The holdings of the lowest 20% wealth group are mainly in ‘other non-financial assets’ such as cars (48% of heir wealth holdings) and superannuation (38%). Few own their homes. Moving up, the proportion of wealth held in owner-occupied housing rises (from 29% for the second-lowest wealth group to 51% for the second-highest). The proportion held in superannuation declines from 33% to 21%. In the highest wealth group, relatively less of the wealth is in the main home (34%) than those in the middle, and more of it in shares and other financial investment (26%) and investment property (15%).

2015-16: Most of the wealth of the lowest 20% wealth group is in low-value assets such as cars and home contents (49%) and superannuation (40%). The average net value of owner-occupied housing held by this group is just $2,000, which strongly suggests that the majority do not own (or are purchasing) the home in which they live. Among those in the middle 20% wealth group, most wealth is held in the main residence (53%), with a lower share held in other non-financial assets such as cars (17%) and superannuation (8%) than for the lowest 20% wealth group. Among the highest 20% wealth group, less than half of  wealth is in the residential home (34%), with a greater proportion held in shares and other financial assets (24%) and investment property (16%). Although this group has more expensive homes than the middle 20%, the average value of their financial assets and investment properties is many times greater than those held by the middle 20%.

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