📈 Compound Interest

$5,000 at 9% for 25 Years

Investing $5,000 at 9% annual compound interest for 25 years grows to $43,115. That's $38,115 earned in interest on top of your original $5,000.

If you want to adjust the return assumption, extend the timeframe, or add regular contributions, use the compound interest calculator.

If you want the plain-English explanation behind the numbers, read our guide to compound interest.

Compound Interest Calculator
Australia 2026
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%
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Total value after 25 years
$43,115
Amount invested$5,000
Interest earned$38,115
Interest multiplier8.62×
Year-by-year growth
YearBalanceInterest
Yr 1$5,450+$450
Yr 2$5,941+$491
Yr 3$6,475+$535
Yr 4$7,058+$583
Yr 5$7,693+$635
Yr 6$8,386+$692
Yr 7$9,140+$755
Yr 8$9,963+$823
Yr 9$10,859+$897
Yr 10$11,837+$977
Yr 11$12,902+$1,065
Yr 12$14,063+$1,161
Yr 13$15,329+$1,266
Yr 14$16,709+$1,380
Yr 15$18,212+$1,504
Yr 16$19,852+$1,639
Yr 17$21,638+$1,787
Yr 18$23,586+$1,947
Yr 19$25,708+$2,123
Yr 20$28,022+$2,314
Yr 21$30,544+$2,522
Yr 22$33,293+$2,749
Yr 23$36,289+$2,996
Yr 24$39,555+$3,266
Yr 25$43,115+$3,560
Final balance after 25 years
$43,115
Invested
$5,000
Interest earned
$38,115
Multiplier
8.62×

How $5,000 grows at 9%

Compound interest earns returns on your returns — not just your original investment. At 9% per year, your money doubles every 8 years (the Rule of 72). Over 25 years, that compounds to a 8.62× multiplier.

In year 1, $5,000 earns $450 in interest. By year 25, the annual interest has grown to $3,560 — because each year's interest is calculated on a larger balance.

This is why longer holding periods matter so much. The later years do more of the heavy lifting, especially once the balance is large enough to generate bigger dollar returns each year.

$5,000 for 25 years at different rates
RateFinal balanceInterest earnedMultiplier
4%$13,329$8,3292.67×
5%$16,932$11,9323.39×
6%$21,459$16,4594.29×
7%$27,137$22,1375.43×
8%$34,242$29,2426.85×
9% ◀$43,115$38,1158.62×
10%$54,174$49,17410.83×

Year-by-year projection

YearBalanceInterest this yearTotal interestGrowth
Year 1$5,450+$450$4501.09×
Year 2$5,941+$491$9411.19×
Year 3$6,475+$535$1,4751.30×
Year 4$7,058+$583$2,0581.41×
Year 5$7,693+$635$2,6931.54×
Year 6$8,386+$692$3,3861.68×
Year 7$9,140+$755$4,1401.83×
Year 8$9,963+$823$4,9631.99×
Year 9$10,859+$897$5,8592.17×
Year 10$11,837+$977$6,8372.37×
Year 11$12,902+$1,065$7,9022.58×
Year 12$14,063+$1,161$9,0632.81×
Year 13$15,329+$1,266$10,3293.07×
Year 14$16,709+$1,380$11,7093.34×
Year 15$18,212+$1,504$13,2123.64×
Year 16$19,852+$1,639$14,8523.97×
Year 17$21,638+$1,787$16,6384.33×
Year 18$23,586+$1,947$18,5864.72×
Year 19$25,708+$2,123$20,7085.14×
Year 20$28,022+$2,314$23,0225.60×
Year 21$30,544+$2,522$25,5446.11×
Year 22$33,293+$2,749$28,2936.66×
Year 23$36,289+$2,996$31,2897.26×
Year 24$39,555+$3,266$34,5557.91×
Year 25$43,115+$3,560$38,1158.62×

Growth chart

Balance growth over 25 years
$11k$22k$32k$43kYr1Yr5Yr10Yr15Yr20Yr25
Principal
Interest earned

Frequently asked questions

Related compound interest scenarios

Use these nearby examples to compare what changes when you keep the same starting balance, extend the investing period, or test a more aggressive return assumption.

Compound interest guide and tools

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