A decade to forget for Australian households

Monday 9 March 2026

The 2020s are shaping up as a decade to forget for Australian households.

According to national accounts data released last week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), real per capita household disposable income—arguably the best indicator of material living standards—remained stuck in the low growth zone in 2025, still tracking 3.9% below the COVID-19 peak:

So far this decade, real per capita household disposable income has risen by only 0.6% annually, the slowest decade average growth in records dating back to the late 1950s:

Real household disposable income by decade

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.