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AustraliaCommunity profile

Regional Australia

Education institution attending

In 2021, 153,863 females in Regional Australia were attending university. This represents 3.6% of the population, compared to 6.2% in Greater Capital Cities.

The share of Regional Australia's population attending educational institutions reflects the age structure of the population, as it is influenced by the number of children attending school; proximity to tertiary education, which can mean young adults leaving home to be nearer to educational facilities and; the degree to which people are seeking out educational opportunities in adulthood, especially in their late teens and early twenties.

This data is often combined with Age Structure to identify areas with significant university student populations.

Learn more about planning education provision here.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What type of educational institution is the person attending?'

Education institution attending
Regional Australia - Total females (Usual residence)20212006Change
Type of institutionNumber%Greater Capital Cities %Number%Greater Capital Cities %2006 to 2021
Pre-school71,3341.71.952,3111.51.5+19,023
Primary school324,1237.77.9307,3698.87.9+16,754
Primary - Government220,1325.25.4222,9976.45.3-2,865
Primary - Catholic67,2231.61.556,5441.61.7+10,679
Primary - Independent36,7680.91.027,8250.81.0+8,943
Secondary school258,2996.16.3226,8876.56.2+31,412
Secondary - Government155,7113.73.4152,0164.43.4+3,695
Secondary - Catholic58,9241.41.544,5581.31.5+14,366
Secondary - Independent43,6641.01.430,3090.91.3+13,355
TAFE/Vocational101,3422.42.676,7222.22.2+24,620
University153,8633.66.293,4572.74.9+60,406
Other33,3110.81.222,7300.70.9+10,581
Not attending2,994,76670.969.32,437,56969.968.4+557,197
Not stated284,1246.74.7272,2087.88.0+11,916
Total4,221,162100.0100.03,489,253100.0100.0+731,909
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2006 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the share of the female population attending educational institutions in Regional Australia in 2021 compared to Greater Capital Cities shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a similar proportion attending secondary school, and a lower proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 7.7% of the female population were attending primary school, 6.1% of the female population were attending secondary institutions, and 6.0% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 7.9%, 6.3% and 8.8% respectively for Greater Capital Cities.

The major differences between the share of the female population attending learning institutions in Regional Australia and Greater Capital Cities were:

  • A larger percentage of females not attending (70.9% compared to 69.3%)
  • A smaller percentage of females attending University (3.6% compared to 6.2%)

Emerging groups

From 2006 to 2021, Regional Australia's female population increased by 731,916 people (+21.0%). This represents an average annual change of 1.28% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of females attending education institutions in Regional Australia, between 2006 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • University (+60,406 females)
  • Secondary school (+31,412 females)
  • TAFE/Vocational (+24,620 females)
  • Pre-school (+19,023 females)

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