Best Performing Super Funds: Growth Category (61–80%)
In this article you can discover the top 10 performing Growth super funds over one year and ten years. We recommend that you also read our explanatory article on the five main risk categories to help you compare the different risk categories that super investment options fall into.
Investment options with a 61–80% allocation to growth assets such as shares and property are called Growth funds by Chant West, a research company that has been analysing super fund performance for more than 20 years.
Growth investment options may appeal to people who want the high return opportunities of growth assets with the diversification provided by the inclusion of some defensive assets.
In the short term, investment options in the Growth risk category may experience more volatility than a Balanced-style investment, but less volatility than a High Growth-style investment.
In the long run, a Growth investment option will generally return more than a Balanced investment option but not as much a High Growth investment option.
As you can see in the table below, different funds use different labels, with some that call themselves Balanced categorised as Growth options by Chant West. For this reason, it’s always important to look at the asset allocation breakdown beneath the label so you can compare like with like.
Playing the long game
It’s important to keep an eye on how your super is performing year to year (and interesting to see how it compares to other funds) but super is a long-term investment. For that reason, longer-term figures are more significant because they incorporate the ups and downs over that entire period and allow us to see which investment managers consistently deliver superior performance, regardless of market conditions.
The table below shows the top 10 performing Growth options over 10 years. All but one made the list the previous period, with Brighter Super entering the top 10 at the expense of Equip Super. Hostplus and Brighter Super now occupy the top two spots, with Australian Retirement Trust and AustralianSuper rounding out the top four.
As you can see, Hostplus held onto its top ranking and also made it back into the top 10 over the past 12 months. Apart from Hostplus, only UniSuper and legalsuper made it onto the top 10 over 10 years and one year.
The top 10 Growth funds all returned more than 8% per year on an annualised basis over the past 10 years, against the median return of 7.8%. This is a remarkable achievement given their typical long-term objective of beating inflation by 3.5%, which translates to 6.2% per year with long-term inflation averaging 2.7% per year.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to June 2026
Source: Chant West. For inclusion in the Top 10, investment options must have been in the Growth category for the full 10 years and where an investment option is not a fund’s main option in the Growth category, it must also meet a minimum size requirement of $1 billion. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration fees.
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Find out moreMedian figures can provide useful context. In the 10-year period to June 2026, Growth investment options as a category delivered a median return of 7.8% per year.
A small difference in performance can make a big difference over time
Although the difference between the top performer and the median may not seem that significant (1.1% per year), the difference builds up over time due to compounding interest.
For example, according to the Moneysmart superannuation calculator, a 25-year-old with $5,000 in super and earning $50,000 per year, and achieving 8.9% per year, could potentially retire at 67 with a super balance of approximately $718,763.
All other things being equal, achieving 7.8% instead would mean a super balance of approximately $537,682 – approximately 25% less.
Top 10 Growth investment options: 10-year returns for previous years
Below you can find the top 10 performing Growth investment options over 10 and 15 years for previous time periods. Click the arrow to see each the top 10 for each period or read on to discover the top 10 funds over the year to June 30.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to December 2025
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to June 2025
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to December 2024
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to June 2024
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to December 2023
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to June 2023
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to December 2022
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to June 2022
| Super fund | Investment option | Return (% per yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Hostplus | Balanced | 9.7% |
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 9.3% |
| Australian Retirement Trust | Balanced (Super Savings) | 9.0% |
| Cbus | Growth (MySuper) | 9.0% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | 8.9% |
| CareSuper | Balanced | 8.7% |
| VicSuper | Growth (MySuper) | 8.7% |
| Legal Super | MySuper Balanced | 8.6% |
| HESTA | Balanced Growth | 8.5% |
| Aware Super | Growth | 8.5% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to December 2021
| Super fund | Investment option | Return (% per yr) |
|---|---|---|
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 10.7% |
| Hostplus | Balanced | 10.7% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | 10.6% |
| Cbus | Growth (Cbus MySuper) | 10.3% |
| VicSuper | Growth (MySuper) | 10.2% |
| Sunsuper | Balanced | 10.2% |
| Aware Super | Growth | 9.9% |
| CareSuper | Balanced | 9.8% |
| Australian Ethical Super | Balanced | 9.8% |
| CFS | FirstChoice Growth | 9.8% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to June 2021
| Super fund | Investment option | Return (% per yr) |
|---|---|---|
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 9.7% |
| Hostplus | Balanced | 9.7% |
| Cbus | Growth (Cbus MySuper) | 9.6% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | 9.5% |
| CareSuper | Balanced | 9.1% |
| Sunsuper | Balanced | 9.1% |
| VicSuper | Growth (MySuper) | 9.0% |
| Australian Ethical Super | Balanced | 9.0% |
| Vision Super | Balanced Growth | 9.0% |
| Aware Super | Growth | 9.0% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to December 2020
| Super fund | Investment option | Return (% per yr) |
|---|---|---|
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 9.0% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | 9.0% |
| Cbus | Growth (Cbus MySuper) | 8.9% |
| Hostplus | Balanced | 8.8% |
| CareSuper | Balanced | 8.5% |
| VicSuper | Growth (MySuper) | 8.4% |
| Equip | Balanced Growth | 8.4% |
| Aware Super | Growth | 8.4% |
| Prime Super | MySuper | 8.3% |
| QSuper | Balanced | 8.3% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 10 years to June 2020
| Super fund | Investment option | Return (% per yr) |
|---|---|---|
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 8.8% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | 8.7% |
| Hostplus | Balanced | 8.6% |
| Cbus | Growth (Cbus MySuper) | 8.5% |
| CareSuper | Balanced | 8.4% |
| QSuper | Balanced | 8.4% |
| VicSuper | Growth (MySuper) | 8.4% |
| Equip | Balanced Growth | 8.3% |
| Prime Super | MySuper | 8.1% |
| Vision Super | Balanced Growth | 8.1% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Returns over one year highlight recent volatility
Super is best viewed as a marathon not a sprint. That said, even those members a long way from retirement should keep a watchful eye on their fund’s ongoing performance to ensure it still meets their objectives and compares favourably with other funds that share a similar risk profile.
The following table shows the top 10 funds over the 12 months to June 2026. Returns ranged from 12.3% for the top-ranked UniSuper Growth option to 9.9% for GESB Super and MLC MySuper Growth, tied at number 10. This compares to the median return of 9.5% for the same period.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to June 2026
Source: Chant West. For inclusion in the Top 10, investment options must have been in the Growth category for the full year and where an investment option is not a fund’s main option in the Growth category, it must also meet a minimum size requirement of $1 billion. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration fees.
The median 1-year return for Growth investment options to 30 June 2026 was 9.5%.
Top 10 Growth investment options: 1 year returns for previous years
Below you can find the top 10 performing Growth investment options over one year for previous time periods. Click the arrow to see each the top 10 for each period.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to December 2025
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to June 2025
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to December 2024
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to June 2024
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to December 2023
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to June 2023
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to December 2022
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to June 2022
| Super fund | Investment option | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Hostplus | Balanced | 1.6% |
| Qantas Super | Growth | 0.6% |
| Christian Super | My Ethical Super | 0.5% |
| Legal Super | Balanced (MySuper) | -0.7% |
| Australian Retirement Trust | Balanced (Super Savings) | -1.0% |
| Energy Super | Balanced | -1.0% |
| Australian Catholic Super & Retirement | Balanced | -1.2% |
| CareSuper | Balanced | -1.7% |
| Australian Retirement Trust | Balanced (QSuper) | -1.7% |
| HESTA | Balanced Growth | -1.8% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to December 2021
| Super fund | Investment option | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Hostplus | Balanced | 19.1% |
| Sunsuper | Balanced | 16.5% |
| Christian Super | My Ethical Super | 16.0% |
| Mine Super | Growth | 15.9% |
| TelstraSuper | Balanced | 15.9% |
| Suncorp | Multi-manager Growth | 15.2% |
| MLC | Horizon 4 | 15.1% |
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 15.0% |
| Plum | Premixed Moderate | 15.0% |
| Legalsuper | MySuper Balanced | 14.8% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to June 2021
| Super fund | Investment option | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Mine Super | Growth | 22.6% |
| Colonial First State FirstChoice | Growth | 21.7% |
| Hostplus | Balanced | 21.3% |
| MLC Super Fund | Horizon 4 | 20.8% |
| Sunsuper | Balanced | 20.7% |
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 20.5% |
| REI Super | Balanced (MySuper) | 20.0% |
| TelstraSuper | Balanced | 19.9% |
| Retirement Wrap | Active Balanced | 19.7% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to December 2020
| Super fund | Investment option | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Suncorp | Multi-manager Growth | 9.6% |
| Australian Ethical Super | Balanced | 8.3% |
| Vision Super | Balanced Growth | 6.2% |
| VicSuper | Growth (MySuper) | 6.0% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | 5.9% |
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 5.5% |
| Aware Super | Growth | 5.5% |
| IOOF | MultiMix Balanced Growth | 5.2% |
| Prime Super | MySuper | 5.2% |
| Equip | Balanced Growth | 5.1% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
Top 10 Growth investment options (super funds): 1 year to June 2020
| Super fund | Investment option | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Suncorp | Multi-manager Growth | 3.8% |
| Australian Ethical Super | Balanced | 2.8% |
| BUSSQ | Balanced Growth | 2.5% |
| IOOF | MultiMix Balanced Growth | 2.0% |
| Vision Super | Balanced Growth | 2.0% |
| Equip | Balanced Growth | 1.7% |
| VicSuper | Balanced | 1.6% |
| First State Super | Growth | 1.3% |
| Equip | MySuper | 1.3% |
| Tasplan | Balanced | 1.2% |
Source: Chant West. The top 10 is limited to Growth options with assets of $1 billion or more. Performance is shown net of investment fees and tax, and before administration and adviser commissions.
© Zenith CW Pty Ltd ABN 20 639 121 403 (Chant West), Authorised Representative of Zenith Investment Partners Pty Ltd ABN 27 103 132 672, AFSL 226872 under AFS Representative Number 1280401 2020.
The data provided by Chant West is based on information supplied by third parties and does not contain all the information required to evaluate the nominated service providers, you are responsible for obtaining further information as required. The data provided by Chant West does not constitute financial product advice. However, to the extent that this data is advice it is General Advice (s766B Corporations Act) and Chant West has not taken into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any specific person who may access or use this data. It is not a specific recommendation to purchase, sell or hold any product(s) and is subject to change at any time without prior notice. Individuals should consider the appropriateness of any advice in light of their own objectives, financial situations or needs and should obtain a copy of and consider any relevant PDS or offer document before making any decision. Data is provided in good faith and is believed to be accurate, however, no representation, warranty or undertaking in relation to the accuracy or completeness of the data is provided. Data provided is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced, modified or distributed without the consent of the copyright owner. Except for any liability which can not be excluded, Chant West does not accept any liability whether direct or indirect, arising from use of this data. Past performance is not an indication of future performance. Full details regarding Chant West’s research methodology, processes, ratings definitions are available at www.chantwest.com.au and Chant West’s Financial Services Guide is available at www.chantwest.com.au/financial-services-guide.
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