HILDA Survey

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey is a household-based panel study that collects valuable information about economic and personal well-being, labour market dynamics and family life.

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey is a household-based panel study that collects valuable information about economic and personal wellbeing, labour market dynamics and family life. It aims to tell the stories of the same group of Australians over the course of their lives.

Started in 2001, the HILDA Survey provides policy-makers with unique insights about Australia, enabling them to make informed decisions across a range of policy areas, including health, education and social services.

Fast facts

  • The HILDA Survey follows the lives of more than 17,000 Australians each year.
  • It collects information on many aspects of life in Australia, including household and family relationships, income and employment, and health and education.
  • Participants are followed over the course of their lifetime.
  • HILDA is the only study of its kind in Australia.
  • Researchers from Australia and overseas may apply to access and use the Survey data.

Who is involved in the HILDA Survey?

The HILDA Survey is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Social Services.

The Melbourne Institute is responsible for the design and management of the Survey, and has appointed Roy Morgan to collect data for Waves 9 to 23.

Accessing and using HILDA Survey data

The data collected in the HILDA Survey is used by leading Australian and international researchers to provide insights into a wide range of economic, social and demographic issues.

To find out more about accessing and using data from the HILDA Survey in your research, visit our Data Users section.

To see how researchers have used the Survey data, visit the HILDA Publications library.

To learn how to analyse HILDA data, or to further develop your skills in longitudinal data analysis, visit the Melbourne Institute’s Training and Workshops website.

If you would like to be notified about news and events relating to HILDA, please subscribe to the HILDA Survey E-mail List.

HILDA Statistical Report

The HILDA Survey is a record of how we live. It shows researchers many things; for example, how economics affects our lives, or how choices made in the past lead to particular life outcomes.

Above all, the Survey enables researchers to see how Australia – and its population – have changed over time.

The annual HILDA Statistical Report captures the essence of the Survey data, revealing selected research findings from the wealth of information collected since 2001.

Published by the Melbourne Institute, the Statistical Report explores how issues such as family, health, income and labour dynamics affect the lives of Australians.

HILDA Survey publications

The HILDA Survey team maintains an extensive bibliography of all Australian and international research publications known to use or reference data from the HILDA Survey.

User training

The HILDA Survey team regularly runs training courses for data users seeking to improve their knowledge of longitudinal data analysis.

Courses are aimed at users with varying levels of ability, and demonstrate how statistical techniques can be used to answer research questions of increasing complexity.

To view a list of upcoming courses, visit the Melbourne Institute’s Training and Workshops website. If you are unable to attend one of our training courses, the HILDA User Manual is designed to help you work with the HILDA data.

If you would like to be notified about future training courses, please subscribe to the HILDA Survey E-mail List.

Our team

Melbourne Institute

Meet the HILDA Survey team.

Special Advisor

Professor Mark Wooden, University of Melbourne. Mark was the inaugural HILDA Survey Project Director, serving in the role from 2000 to 2023, and continues to provide advice to the current HILDA Survey Project team.

Department of Social Services

Longitudinal Studies

External Reference Group

Professor Ann Evans, Australian National University (Chair)
Professor Garry Barrett, The University of Sydney
Professor Peter Butterworth , Deakin University
Professor Belinda Hewitt, The University of Melbourne
Professor David Johnston, Monash University
Professor Rachel Ong ViforJ, Curtin University
Professor Peter Siminski, University of Technology Sydney

Technical Reference Group

Professor Robert Breunig, Australian National University
Dr John Henstridge, Data Analysis Australia
Mr Bruce Fraser, Australian Bureau of Statistics

Household, Income and Labour Dynamics research program

Members of the Melbourne Institute’s Household, Income and Labour Dynamics program undertake research into longitudinal survey design and a variety of economic and social policy issues.

Their research draws primarily on data collected during the HILDA Survey, but also makes use of international panel studies, such as the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the British Household Panel Study and the German Socio-Economic Panel.