Nearly half of Australians prioritise social impact, willing to accept an average 2.62% lower return.
RIAA-certified responsible investments outperformed, averaging 13.20% returns over 10 years compared to 9.19%.
Greenwashing concerns persist for 52% of investors, though new ESG labelling aims to increase transparency.
7% of Aussies own ETFs, according to a survey of over 1,000 Australian adults from Finder's September 2022 Consumer Sentiment Tracker (CST). That's an estimated 1.45 million people and this figure is set to grow. ETFs are most popular among generation y and generation z.
ETFs (short for exchange traded funds) are popular as they allow investors to buy a basket of shares or assets in a single trade and generally offer low expense ratios. This allows retail investors to diversify within an asset class in a cost-effective way.
ETFs are most popular with generation Y (12%) and least popular with baby boomers (2%).
ETFs are more popular than managed or index funds in Australia.
There are 223 ETFs across 7 asset classes worth over AUD$113 billion in Australia (June 2021).
The growth of ETFs in Australia outpaced the global industry in 2021 with a 44% growth from AUD$95 billion to AUD$136.9 billion – its sharpest annual increase.
Who owns ETFs in Australia?
7% of Aussies own ETFs – an estimated 1.45 million people.
ETFs are most popular with generation Y (12%), followed by generation Z (8%).
Baby boomers are the least likely generation to hold ETFs (2%) and 6% of generation X own ETFs.
Men are more likely to own ETFs compared to women (8% vs 6%), but this is a much smaller investment gap than individual shares (24% vs 8%) and managed or index funds (9% compared to 3%).
Those in NSW are the most likely to own ETFs (9%), followed by QLD (8%), VIC (7%) and SA and WA (3% each).
Gen Y is most likely to own ETFs
Gen Y is most likely to own ETFs
Generation
ETFs
Baby boomers
2
Gen X
6
Gen Y
12
Gen Z
8
Investing gender gap in Australia
The investing gender gap is smaller for ETFs than it is for individual shares or managed funds.
Investing gender gap in Australia
Investment type
Male
Female
Shares in a specific company (e.g. Apple or CBA)
24
8
Managed/Index fund
9
3
Exchange traded fund (ETFs)
8
6
ETFs' role in investment portfolios
Direct shares are still more popular than ETFs. 16% of Aussies own direct shares compared to 7% who have ETFs.
However, ETFs are now more popular than managed or index funds in Australia (7% compared to 6%) and are much more popular than listed investment companies (2%).
ETFs in Australia account for only 2% of investments by value, showing their appeal to those with limited capital as a vehicle for cost-effective diversification.
The median amount invested in an ETF is AUD$23,192.
The market capitalisation of ETFs has grown significantly.
The history of ETFs in Australia
In 2015, Australia opened up its market to actively managed ETFs, becoming one of the first regional markets to do so.
The ASX admitted the first 2 ETFs by State Street Global Advisors in 2001. It took another 6 years for the ASX to admit Blackrock iShares ETFs and another 2 for Vanguard to join the scene.
As of June 2021, there were 223 ETFs across 7 asset classes worth over $113 billion.
ETPs, financial instruments that track underlying securities or indexes and include ETFs, have grown significantly in the last 6 years. In January 2017, there were just 154 ETPs. As of July 2022, there are now 253 ETPs.
Thematic ETF strategies recorded strong growth in Australia last year accounting for 10 of the 33 new ETF launches in the country. However, thematic strategies account for just 3% of Australian ETF assets.
The number of ETPs listed on the ASX
The number of ETPs listed on the ASX
ETPs
No. listed
January 2017
154
February 2017
155
March 2017
155
April 2017
157
May 2017
159
June 2017
162
July 2017
163
August 2017
163
September 2017
167
October 2017
168
November 2017
174
December 2017
175
January 2018
175
February 2018
177
March 2018
178
April 2018
181
May 2018
182
June 2018
179
July 2018
178
August 2018
177
September 2018
184
October 2018
185
November 2018
191
December 2018
191
January 2019
191
February 2019
191
March 2019
192
Apri 2019
194
May 2019
195
June 2019
198
July 2019
200
August 2019
203
September 2019
203
October 2019
204
November 2019
208
December 2019
211
January 2020
211
February 2020
212
March 2022
212
April 2022
212
May 2020
206
June 2020
208
July 2020
211
August 2020
212
September 2020
216
October 2020
218
November 2020
220
December 2020
215
January 2021
215
February 2021
215
March 2021
220
April 2021
221
May 2021
221
June 2021
223
July 2021
223
August 2021
226
September 2021
227
October 2021
229
November 2021
233
December 2021
237
January 2022
239
February 2022
244
March 2022
247
April 2022
248
May 2022
247
June 2022
252
July 2022
253
ETPs Market Cap in Australia
ETPs Market Cap in Australia
ETPs
Market cap in billions
January 2017
25.10
February 2017
26.10
March 2017
27.25
April 2017
28.12
May 2017
28.83
June 2017
29.26
July 2017
29.90
August 2017
30.67
September 2017
31.75
October 2017
33.24
November 2017
35.25
December 2017
35.69
January 2018
36.27
February 2018
36.61
March 2018
36.31
April 2018
37.62
May 2018
38.14
June 2018
38.87
July 2018
39.68
August 2018
41.15
September 2018
42.29
October 2018
40.47
November 2018
40.64
December 2018
40.41
January 2019
42.27
February 2019
44.45
March 2019
45.77
Apri 2019
47.66
May 2019
48.33
June 2019
50.59
July 2019
53.02
August 2019
53.66
September 2019
55.91
October 2019
56.92
November 2019
60.24
December 2019
61.52
January 2020
65.70
February 2020
63.64
March 2022
56.63
April 2022
60.71
May 2020
63.46
June 2020
65.64
July 2020
66.90
August 2020
70.47
September 2020
71.12
October 2020
73.55
November 2020
92.19
December 2020
94.44
January 2021
96.04
February 2021
96.57
March 2021
102.07
April 2021
106.67
May 2021
109.49
June 2021
113.52
July 2021
116.50
August 2021
122.78
September 2021
122.95
October 2021
124.64
November 2021
129.93
December 2021
134.12
January 2022
128.96
February 2022
127.16
March 2022
132.34
April 2022
130.36
May 2022
128.33
June 2022
121.45
July 2022
127.24
Global ETF statistics
There were just 276 ETFs globally in 2003, but as of 2021, there are more than 8,550.
ETFs worldwide were worth US$10 trillion in 2021.
ESG ETFs have grown significantly since 2006. They were worth US$5 billion and reached US$391 billion in 2021. The growth is primarily due to growth in Europe and the United States.
Susannah Binsted is the head of the Finder Awards program. Previously she was the head of public relations for the international division at Finder. Susannah has a Bachelor of Communication and a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney.
See full bio
The best-performing ETF delivered a return of more than 101.22% over the last 12 months.
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