Superannuation is very important to Australians at an individual, household and aggregate level. Superannuation is the largest asset after the family home of most households and will be an increasingly important part of generating retirement income for almost all Australians. With aggregate assets of over $1.1 trillion dollars and large annual flows, superannuation impacts significantly on financial markets, particularly the ASX. The level of voluntary contributions to superannuation impacts on flows to other investments. As well as the large aggregates involved there is public interest in the distribution of superannuation by gender, age and income.
This paper draws on both public and non-public data sources to analyse, compare and present data on the distribution of superannuation flows and assets, primarily in 2005-06. It then uses an updated and benchmarked version of Treasury’s RIMGROUP model to project superannuation flows and assets to 2040-41. Distributional aspects of the results, including the changing relative shares of women and men, are presented and discussed.