All Australians aspire to live a comfortable retirement lifestyle. That's one where your superannuation balance is high enough to maintain a good standard of living, do some regular activities, meals out, and perhaps even an occasional overseas trip.
But how do you know if you're on track?
It's important to keep on top of how much superannuation you have (and should have) at any age, but sometimes it's difficult to tell if your superannuation balance is ahead or behind.
The problem is that Australians at age 44 are at a very different life stage to those aged 64.
Many 44-year-olds feel like they're at a financial crossroad, where their income is starting to peak, and superannuation accumulated in their early careers is beginning to compound. Many even return to the workforce after having children, or raise their working hours.
By age 64, some Australians have already retired, and those who haven't have only about a year left before they can access their superannuation, regardless of their working situation. And they're only three years from receiving the Age Pension (if eligible). At this age, the priority should be making your retirement a reality and creating a short-term plan to get there.
Here's a rundown of the average superannuation balance for 44-year-olds versus 64-year-olds in 2026, using some data from the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).
Image source: Getty Images
How much superannuation does the average Australian have at age 44?
There isn't an exact figure for Australians aged 44, but there is a bracket that can help give us a good guide.
According to ASFA, at age 40-44, the average male has $140,680, and the average female has $109,209.
How does yours compare?
How much superannuation does the average Australian have at age 64?
The average 60 to 64-year-old Australian male has an average superannuation balance of $395,852, and women have around $313,360.
Is your superannuation on track with other Aussies the same age?
44 vs 64: What does the gap show us?
The difference between super balances at age 44 versus age 64 is significant.
Over the 20-year period, average balances increased by over $200,000 for both men and women.
This is partly due to additional contributions, but it also underscores the importance of accumulating wealth even in your 40s and letting it compound in your 60s.
But, these average balances don't look enough to retire on
Unfortunately, that's correct.
A comfortable retirement is expected to cost approximately $54,840 per year for individuals and $77,375 per year for couples.
To afford that, a single person will need a superannuation balance of around $630,000, and couples need around $730,000.
I've crunched the numbers using ASFA's Super Balance Detective tool. In order to reach the superannuation balance needed for a comfortable retirement, you'd need a balance of around $225,500 at age 44, and this would need to increase to around $581,000 by age 64.
How does your balance stack up now?
