# Australian Property Investor Statistics

Last updated 12 October 2026. 76 figures. Published by Deedchest at https://deedchest.app/australian-property-investor-statistics/
Figures marked (calc) are our own calculation from the published figures; every other figure is as published.

Every figure on this page links to the body that published it. Where we have calculated a share or a total ourselves, we say so.

One thing most roundups get wrong, in the ATO's own words: this data is at the rental property schedule level, and is not representative of the total number of properties, or the total number of individuals with a rental property. The same property can have more than one individual with an interest in an income year, and one individual can hold interests in several properties. So 2,335,540 is not a count of Australian property investors, and it is not a count of rental properties. It is a count of individuals appearing in the rental property schedule statistics.

## Key takeaways

1. 2,335,540 individuals reported an interest in a rental property in the 2023-24 income year.
2. 71.6% of individuals with a rental property interest held just one. (calc)
3. 54.2% of individuals with a rental property interest recorded a net rental loss. (calc)
4. Individuals reported $62.2 billion in gross rental income in 2023-24.
5. Individuals claimed $32.2 billion in rental interest deductions.
6. The national net rental result for individuals was a $2.7 billion loss.
7. 642,351 were aged 60 or over — the largest age group.
8. 824,638 NSW residents held an interest in a rental property — 35.3% of the national total and the largest of any state.
9. New investor loan commitments for dwellings totalled 52,599 in the June quarter 2026.
10. Investors accounted for 39.2% of new dwelling loan commitments by number. (calc)
11. The average new investor loan in Australia was $708,000 in the June quarter 2026.
12. Investment loans made up 31.2% of the residential mortgage book at June 2026.
13. 8.9% of new investment loans were written at a debt-to-income ratio of six times or higher.
14. Investors were 2.4 times as likely as owner-occupiers to borrow at six times income or more. (calc)

## How many property investors are there in Australia?

2,335,540 individuals reported an interest in a rental property in the 2023-24 income year.

That figure is the sum of the ATO's state and territory breakdown, which publishes no national total. It counts individuals, not properties, and the ATO's caveat above governs how it should be read.

The 2023-24 statistics were sourced from rental property schedules processed by 31 October 2025 and are not necessarily complete.

- Source: Australian Taxation Office, 2023-24 income year — https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/taxation-statistics/taxation-statistics-2023-24/statistics-in-taxation-statistics-2023-24/individuals-statistics-for-taxation-statistics-2023-24

## How many investment properties does the average investor own?

Most hold exactly one. 1,672,616 individuals, 71.6%, reported a single rental property interest in 2023-24.

Shares calculated from ATO Individuals Table 27C. The large-portfolio investor is rare.

| Property interests held | Individuals | Share |
|---|---|---|
| One | 1,672,616 | 71.6% (calc) |
| Two | 438,906 | 18.8% (calc) |
| Three | 135,327 | 5.8% (calc) |
| Four | 48,690 | 2.1% (calc) |
| Five | 19,849 | 0.8% (calc) |
| Six or more | 20,152 | 0.9% (calc) |

- Source: Australian Taxation Office, 2023-24 income year — https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/taxation-statistics/taxation-statistics-2023-24/statistics-in-taxation-statistics-2023-24/individuals-statistics-for-taxation-statistics-2023-24

## Are Australian investment properties profitable?

More than half are not. 1,266,454 individuals, 54.2%, recorded a net rental loss in 2023-24, against 1,069,086 who broke even or made a profit.

Net rent here is the sum of all net rent reported across the rental property schedules lodged by an individual, so it reflects an investor's overall position rather than any single property.

- Source: Australian Taxation Office, 2023-24 income year — https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/taxation-statistics/taxation-statistics-2023-24/statistics-in-taxation-statistics-2023-24/individuals-statistics-for-taxation-statistics-2023-24

## What do investors earn and claim?

Individuals reported $62.2 billion in gross rental income in 2023-24 and claimed deductions that produced a national net rental loss of $2.7 billion (net loss).

Interest is by far the largest single deduction.

| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross rental income | $62.2 billion |
| Rental interest deductions | $32.2 billion |
| Capital works deductions | $4.8 billion |
| Other rental deductions | $27.9 billion |
| Net rental income | $2.7 billion (net loss) |

- Source: Australian Taxation Office, 2023-24 income year — https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/taxation-statistics/taxation-statistics-2023-24/statistics-in-taxation-statistics-2023-24/snapshot-of-taxation-statistics-2023-24

## Where are Australia's property investors?

NSW residents are the largest group, at 824,638 individuals, well ahead of Victoria's 599,917.

| State or territory of residence | Individuals |
|---|---|
| NSW | 824,638 |
| Victoria | 599,917 |
| Queensland | 384,251 |
| Western Australia | 212,926 |
| South Australia | 135,701 |
| Overseas | 68,479 |
| ACT | 50,945 |
| Tasmania | 36,284 |
| Northern Territory | 19,545 |
| Not recorded | 2,854 |

> **Read this carefully:** Two distinctions that matter. First, these are counts of individuals, not of interests: many hold more than one, so the number of interests is higher than the number of people. Second, this is the state or territory where the investor lives, not where the property is. An investor living in Sydney with a property in Brisbane appears in the NSW row. The ATO publishes a separate table counting by the property's location.

- Source: Australian Taxation Office, 2023-24 income year — https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/taxation-statistics/taxation-statistics-2023-24/statistics-in-taxation-statistics-2023-24/individuals-statistics-for-taxation-statistics-2023-24

## Who are Australia's property investors?

The largest single age group is 60 and over, at 642,351 individuals, which cuts against the usual picture of property investment as a young wealth-building strategy.

| Age at 30 June | Individuals |
|---|---|
| Under 30 | 100,168 |
| 30-39 | 433,984 |
| 40-49 | 590,046 |
| 50-59 | 568,989 |
| 60 and over | 642,351 |
| Not recorded | 2 |

*By taxable income*

| Taxable income | Individuals |
|---|---|
| Under $18,200 | 275,084 |
| $18,200-$50,000 | 436,820 |
| $50,001-$100,000 | 661,330 |
| $100,001-$500,000 | 922,559 |
| Over $500,000 | 39,747 |

> **Read this carefully:** Read this one carefully. Taxable income is measured after deductions, including rental losses. Investors reporting taxable income under $50,000 are not necessarily low-income earners: for some, rental and other deductions have reduced a higher gross income. Any claim that a third of property investors are low-income misreads the table.

- Source: Australian Taxation Office, 2023-24 income year — https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/taxation-statistics/taxation-statistics-2023-24/statistics-in-taxation-statistics-2023-24/individuals-statistics-for-taxation-statistics-2023-24

## How much of new lending goes to investors?

Investors accounted for 39.2% of new dwelling loan commitments by number, and 38.0% by value.

New investor loan commitments fell -8.6% over the quarter to 52,599, with the value down -10.2% to $37.1 billion. Year-on-year, investor commitments were still up 2.8% by number and 8.1% by value.

Investor refinancing moved the other way. Internal refinancing rose 14.9% to 15,331 commitments, and external refinancing rose 5.3% to 36,597 — 51,928 investor refinances in the quarter, almost as many as the new investor loans written.

All lending figures are seasonally adjusted and exclude refinancing unless stated. The shares are calculated from the ABS totals.

- Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June quarter 2026 — https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/finance/lending-indicators/jun-quarter-2026

## How large is the average investor loan?

The average new investor loan in Australia was $708,000 in the June quarter 2026.

The Queensland average has overtaken Victoria's. Average loan size figures are an original series, not seasonally adjusted.

| State | Average investor loan |
|---|---|
| NSW | $851,000 |
| Queensland | $713,000 |
| ACT | $682,000 |
| Western Australia | $678,000 |
| South Australia | $642,000 |
| Victoria | $604,000 |
| Tasmania | $524,000 |
| Northern Territory | $443,000 |

- Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June quarter 2026 — https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/finance/lending-indicators/jun-quarter-2026

## How exposed are the banks to investors?

Investment loans made up 31.2% of the residential mortgage book held by Australian deposit-taking institutions at June 2026.

Total residential credit outstanding reached $2,558.5 billion. Applying the investment share gives ~$798 billion in outstanding investor housing credit — the tilde is ours: APRA publishes the share to one decimal place, so the product is approximate.

Arrears remain low: 0.54% of loans were 30 to 89 days past due, and 1.01% were non-performing.

| ADI residential property exposures | June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total credit outstanding | $2,558.5 billion |
| Owner-occupied share | 66.7% |
| Investment share | 31.2% |
| Loans with LVR 80% or higher | 16.7% |
| Loans 30-89 days past due | 0.54% |
| Non-performing loans | 1.01% |

- Source: Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, June 2026 quarter — https://www.apra.gov.au/quarterly-authorised-deposit-taking-institution-property-exposure-statistics-june-2026-highlights

## Are investors borrowing more aggressively?

On one measure, yes. 8.9% of new investment loans funded in the June 2026 quarter carried a debt-to-income ratio of six times or higher, against 3.7% of new owner-occupier loans. That is a multiple of 2.4x.

| New loans funded in the quarter | June 2026 |
|---|---|
| New loans funded | $200.5 billion |
| New investment loans — share | 35.6% |
| New investment loans with DTI 6x or higher | 8.9% |
| New owner-occupied loans with DTI 6x or higher | 3.7% |

> **Read this carefully:** APRA's "new loans funded" includes external refinancing, while the ABS lending figures above exclude refinancing. The two series are not directly comparable and should never be presented side by side as though they measure the same thing.

- Source: Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, June 2026 quarter — https://www.apra.gov.au/quarterly-authorised-deposit-taking-institution-property-exposure-statistics-june-2026-highlights

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Figures are drawn from the ATO's Taxation Statistics 2023-24, the ABS Lending Indicators for the June quarter 2026, and APRA's Quarterly ADI property exposure statistics for June 2026. Where a share or total is our own calculation, it is labelled as such. Found an error? bryce@deedchest.app — corrections are welcome and we will say what changed.

How to cite: Deedchest, "Australian Property Investor Statistics", updated 12 October 2026, https://deedchest.app/australian-property-investor-statistics/ — and the original publisher named against each figure.