Investing bonanza as younger Australians lean on AI advice

A record 11.5 million Australian adults now hold investments outside their superannuation and their main home, a new survey by the stock exchange operator finds.

The ASX Australian Investor Study 2026 has revealed an estimated 2.5 million Australians have joined the investor population since 2020.

Investors, the survey showed, now represent 54 per cent of the adult population.

"Australia is a nation of investors," ASX chief executive Anthony Attia said.

Who are Australian investors?

Most investors were middle-income earners and middle-aged, with a median gross income of $110,000 and an average age of 46.

Younger people, aged 18-29, made up 21 per cent of investors.

For the first time, the ASX survey looked at how investors are using AI tools for investment information and advice.

The bourse said investors continued to use professional advisers, brokers, online investment platforms, family and friends, social media, podcasts and other digital sources.

It found AI uptake was strongest among younger investors, used by 14 per cent of investors aged 18 to 29.

Mr Attia said Australia's public participation in share trading is among the highest in developed markets.

The survey, which polled roughly 4,500 people in January and February this year, found shares were the most widely held assets, followed by residential property, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), term deposits and cryptocurrency.