Women are driving Australia's next investing boom

A record 11.5 million Australians now invest outside their home and super, with women emerging as the biggest force behind the next wave of market growth.

More than 11 million Aussies now hold assets outside of their superannuation and primary home, according to a new survey from the Australian Securities Exchange.

The ASX 2026 Australian Investor Study found that while most current investors are still men, the market could soon look very different.

Women dominate the cohort of Aussies who plan to start investing within the next year.

Record 11.5 million Australians now invest outside super

The ASX says the results make Australia a "nation of investors", with this group now comprising 54% of the adult population.

Beyond putting money into property, Aussies are more likely than people in many other countries to buy assets listed on a local or international exchange, like ETFs or shares.

Almost 40% of adults hold these assets bought and sold on exchanges like the ASX, compared to 35% of people in the United Kingdom and 20% of Germans.

Across all types of investing, the median portfolio size is $130,000 and 42% of investors have portfolios under $100,000.

ETFs emerge as the gateway investment

Ownership of ETFs has doubled since 2020, with these managed funds now one of the most popular assets in Australia.

The growth doesn't surprise Betashares senior investment strategist Cameron Gleeson.

He says ETFs have become the gateway from which many people start their investment journey.

"More and more Australians are starting to build a portfolio by looking at ETFs and more and more are choosing ETF-only portfolios," he explains.

The ASX says one third of people who don't currently invest but want to within the next 12 months are considering buying ETFs.

Betashares is one of several companies which manages ETFs for investors and Gleeson says the business has seen growing interest in the assets from a new cohort.

"Through the early COVID-19 period, the growth was in younger investors," he says. "Now we're seeing the greatest growth in older investors."

Why shares remain Australia's favourite investment

Despite all the attention ETFs are getting, the ASX says shares in companies listed on the local exchange remain the most popular type of asset for investors in 2026.

Even among the wave of people planning to start investing within the next year, 41% want to put their money into company stock.

ASX senior manager of investment products Rory Cunningham says this is due to the stability and premium status Aussies attach to certain companies.

"Commonwealth Bank, BHP - these are names that we see day in and day out, so I think that really resonates with investors," he says.

"When you think about investing and as you grow up learning about it, often the example that's provided is investing in a company."

Women lead the next wave of investors

Men still dominate Australia's investor cohort, with only 43% of those currently putting their money to work outside of their home or super found to be women.

But in a sign of change to come, the ASX found women "significantly outnumber" men in the race to start investing in the near future.

Among those the company surveyed who planned to start making moves with their money in the next 12 months, 61% were women.

It's the largest cohort of aspiring female investors the ASX has ever seen.

Cunningham believes this is due to an "incredible evolution" in the ways women can learn about investing.

"Over the last five years, there has been an increase in the number of groups that have a specific focus on educating female investors," he explains.

"These groups are run by women, their membership is female and the education and experience they're delivering is catered towards what women are looking for."

The biggest myth stopping Australians from investing

Experts say initiatives like these will help many of those wanting to invest to get involved, but barriers remain.

One of the most common, according to the ASX, is someone's lack of confidence that they have enough money to buy into the market.

Cunningham believes greater education is needed here too, to make people realise they don't need as much cash as they think.

"Those that intend to invest in the next 12 months are saying that they need a median $690 to do so," he notes.

"But there are investment platforms out there that allow you to invest your spare change, so I think that is a barrier we can overcome."

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