Most Profitable Industries in Australia in 2025

• 1. Superannuation Funds in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $273.2B

  Severe global market volatility over the past five years has meant superannuation funds' investment incomes have fluctuated significantly. The pandemic, inflationary pressures and geopolitical tensions have caused funds’ incomes to swing dramatically. The pandemic, in particular, drove down superannuation funds' income in 2019-20; that's why superannuation funds’ revenue is expected to have surged at an annualised 114.6% over the five years through 2024-25, to $292.8 billion. Superannuation f...

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• 2. Finance in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $154.8B

  The Finance sector's operating environment was previously characterised by record-low interest rates. Nonetheless, high inflation prompted the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to hike the cash rate from May 2022 onwards. This shift allowed financial institutions to impose higher loan charges, propelling their revenue. Banks raised interest rates quicker than funding costs in the first half of 2022-23, boosting net interest margins. The introduction of the Term Funding Facility (TFF) also provi...

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• 3. Industry Superannuation Funds in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $120.2B

  Wild equity market fluctuations have driven significant volatility in super funds’ investment income over the past few years. Negative income in 2019-20 is why industry superannuation funds' revenue is expected to have recovered at an annualised 103.5% over the five years through 2024-25, to $127.6 billion. Superannuation funds' total assets are a more accurate indicator of the industry's size. Despite net losses in 2019-20 and 2021-22, total industry assets are anticipated to have grown at a...

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• 4. Financial Asset Investing in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $88.1B

  Financial asset investors have benefited from a generally strong domestic sharemarket performance and robust profit margins over the past few years. Typically, industry funds are invested in equities, and industry revenue depends on various sharemarket performances. The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing inflationary pressures significantly disrupted both local and global equity markets, which limited industry performance. Yet, total assets have continued to accumulate over recent years, compoundi...

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• 5. Iron Ore Mining in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $69.3B

  Iron ore miners have faced difficult trading conditions because of easing iron ore prices over the past few years, despite the nation maintaining its status as the world's largest iron ore supplier and benefiting from proximity to Asian markets. However, modest growth in production volumes has partly offset revenue declines. Industry revenue is expected to have sunk at an annualised 1.7% over the five years through 2024-25, to $131.5 billion. Easing iron ore prices, driven primarily by a slow...

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• 6. National and Regional Commercial Banks in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $57.8B

  Banks are grappling with a transition from years of loose monetary policy to tighter financial conditions. Soaring inflation prompted an RBA pivot in the face of surging energy, housing and food prices. The RBA hiked the cash rate multiple times from May 2022 to November 2023. Prior to this, banks cashed in on high residential housing prices, with low interest rates and government schemes encouraging strong mortgage uptake over the course of the pandemic. APRA also eased the interest rate buf...

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• 7. Professional Services in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $27.6B

  The Professional Services subdivision's performance is largely linked to overall economic conditions, often determining business confidence and capital expenditure. Over the past few years, greater business profit and rising capital expenditure by the public sector have supported subdivision demand. However, construction projects that were delayed or cancelled because of surging construction expenses and labour scarcity adversely impacted several industries, including architectural services a...

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• 8. Agribusiness in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $22.6B

  The Agribusiness sector continues to expand, driven by strong export markets, rising domestic meat prices and technological advancements. Key commodities, including beef, wheat, barley, dairy and wine, remain integral to global supply chains, with China, Japan and the United States among major buyers. While geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties pose risks, diversification into ASEAN and Indian markets is helping mitigate these challenges. The Agribusiness sector is also shifting to...

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• 9. Tourism in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $22.5B

  The Tourism industry in Australia is well-developed and a critical contributor to national employment and GDP. Industry revenue consists of international and domestic expenditure on an array of tourism-related products and services. The industry faced an extreme downturn in 2019-20 and 2020-21 due to the pandemic, severely impacting both international and domestic tourism. Government restrictions led to a drop in revenue and employment. However, government assistance, such as wage subsidies, ...

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• 10. Consumer Goods Retailing in Australia

  Total Profit for 2025: $20.2B

  Consumer goods retailing has experienced significant shifts in recent years, largely fuelled by the rapid rise of online shopping. As consumers have increasingly embraced online platforms’ convenience and price competitiveness, traditional retailers have felt the pressure to adapt. Ecommerce sales have climbed steadily, rising from a 9.1% share of total retail trade in 2019 to 13.7% by October 2024. This transformation has created both opportunities and challenges, with retailers striving to ...

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