Kyle Peyton Kyle

Home / Human Interest / The golden age of the silver years? Kyle Peyton | September 28, 2025 The annual Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey follows the lives of around 16,000 Australians each year over the course of their lifetime. Started by the Australian government at the start of this century, it aims to collect information on many aspects of life in Australia including household and family relationships, income and employment, health and education.

Fifty years ago, old age was almost synonymous with poverty. But recent data from the HILDA survey show that’s no longer the case for many older Australians. On average, Australian retirees have never been wealthier or healthier or had better living standards than they do now. That’s not to say that all disadvantage has been eliminated amongst retirees, but there has been a seismic shift. While there are pockets of poverty and disadvantage, there also are many cashed-up retirees.

Every year, one of Australia’s biggest longitudinal surveys provides a range of insights on how the nation is changing. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey reveals trends on a wide range of aspects of life in Australia, including household relationships, income, health and wellbeing. HILDA has been following the same people every year since 2001, with about 16,000 respondents in the latest survey.