They have been called latchkey kids, the sandwich generation and the middle kids – but far from shrinking violets, Gen X have quietly and determinately been making their mark.

Defined as people born between 1965–1980, in 2026, that puts Gen X at roughly 45–61 years old: senior-ish at work, still supporting kids (often), and increasingly stepping in to care for ageing parents. Globally, Gen X sits right at the hinge: they’re the managers and decision-makers now, and the retirees next.

One widely-cited global generational breakdown (built from UN population data) estimates Gen X at about 1.4 billion people, roughly 16–17% of humanity. (Generational cut-offs vary by source, so treat this as an indicative scale, not an exact census count.)

Australia’s Gen X:

From the last Census (2021), the ABS reports Gen X as 19.3% of the population (using an age-based definition of 40–54 at the time).

What that means: Gen X is roughly one in five Australians—large enough to swing consumer markets, workplace culture, and elections, but often “invisible” because they sit between bigger headline cohorts (Boomers and Millennials).

Income: Gen X is in the peak earning bands

ABS personal income data shows 45–54-year-old earners had the highest median total income in Australia in 2022–23, at $80,926. Many are in their highest-paying years, often in leadership or specialist roles, with financial pressure still high.

Housing: still high ownership, but the slide is real

Australia’s overall home ownership is relatively stable in aggregate, but the age-pattern has been shifting. AIHW analysis (using ABS Census data) reports that for 50–54-year-olds, home ownership fell from 80% (1996) to 72% (2021).

While Gen X is often stereotyped as the cohort that “got in before it got impossible,” the numbers show that while many did, even Gen X’s ownership rates slipped, and the “owning vs mortgaged” balance has changed in ways that keep midlife stress high.

Gen X is increasingly the generation where wealth and stress coexist. They may hold significant assets, but often alongside large mortgages, multiple dependents, and the feeling that retirement is suddenly “not far away.”

Cultural impact: What makes Gen X different?

Gen X straddle a transformative period for technology, enjoying an analogue childhood, but leading/working/parenting in a digital adulthood.

They grew up with free-to-air TV, cassette tapes, and landlines, going on to absorb the internet, mobile phones, social media, and algorithmic work — all without the cultural “digital native” identity that Millennials and Gen Z wear naturally.

In Australia, that’s visible in how Gen X often became:

• the workplace translators between legacy systems and digital transformation,

• the parental translators between “offline” childhood norms and always-on adolescence,

• and the institutional translators in schools, public service, health, and business.

They mainstreamed “alternative” culture

Gen X’s cultural exports are everywhere: indie/alternative music and film going mainstream, scepticism as a style, irony as a social tool, and a strong allergy to hype. The generational mood—less utopian than Boomers, less performatively optimistic than parts of Millennial culture—helped shape how brands, politics, and media learned to speak: more casual, more “authentic,” more self-aware.

They are the managers of the “now”—and the next wave of retirees

In 2026, Gen X is embedded at the control points: team leaders (principals, directors etc), “middle management” layer that actually implements change, and the household decision-makers driving big-ticket spending (renovations, education choices, care choices).

Gen X is the bridge cohort—economically powerful, time-poor, and increasingly conscious that the policy settings for housing, retirement, health, and aged care will land on them next.

As the XEO’s of now – Gen X is most likely to be the CEO as 57 is the average age of all Fortune 500 CEOs, in Australia, 47 is the average age when a person becomes a CEO – Gen X wield a lot of power, but are still influenced by the instability they have witnessed over their lifetime. They were there for the Stock Market crash of 1979, as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), and have witnessed the rise and fall of cutting edge technologies such as Atari video games, CDs, Myspace and Blackberry.

This means that their priorities are different to the generations before and after them – including that remuneration is the most important factor for Gen X when considering a new job (71%), above accessible leadership (70%) and a convenient location 69%.

To summarise, Gen X in Australia in 2026 is:

Gen X in Australia in 2026 is:

• Roughly 1 in 5 people (about 4.9 million based on 2021 Census shares)
• Concentrated in peak income years (median $80,926 for 45–54 earners in 2022–23)
• Still majority home owners, but with ownership rates that have fallen over time (50–54: 80% ? 72% from 1996 to 2021)
• Culturally defined by being the in-between generation —but one that quietly writes the rules of how work, media, and family life operate.

Want to learn more about how an understanding of different generations can help you better connect with your customers/audience? Head here.