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AustraliaCommunity profile

Western Australia

Education institution attending

In 2021, 112,343 people in Western Australia were attending university. This represents 4.2% of the population, compared to 4.3% in Queensland.

The share of Western 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
Western Australia - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Type of institutionNumber%Queensland %Number%Queensland %2016 to 2021
Pre-school45,4521.71.630,2521.21.2+15,200
Primary school222,1828.48.3209,8908.58.5+12,292
Primary - Government156,0625.95.7144,9835.95.9+11,079
Primary - Catholic36,6911.41.536,8611.51.6-170
Primary - Independent29,4291.11.028,0461.11.1+1,383
Secondary school175,6266.66.8157,0126.36.3+18,614
Secondary - Government102,3673.84.188,1703.63.7+14,197
Secondary - Catholic36,4281.41.434,0641.41.3+2,364
Secondary - Independent36,8311.41.434,7781.41.3+2,053
TAFE/Vocational59,8972.32.146,8301.91.6+13,067
University112,3434.24.3106,8114.34.5+5,532
Other23,8560.90.918,5430.70.8+5,313
Not attending1,852,88269.769.51,707,42169.069.3+145,461
Not stated167,7816.36.3197,6468.07.7-29,865
Total2,660,019100.0100.02,474,405100.0100.0+185,614
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 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 population attending educational institutions in Western Australia in 2021 compared to Queensland shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a similar proportion attending secondary school, and a similar proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 8.4% of the population were attending primary school, 6.6% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 6.5% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.3%, 6.8% and 6.5% respectively for Queensland.

There were no major differences between Western Australia and Queensland in 2021.

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, Western Australia's population increased by 185,614 people (+7.5%). This represents an average annual change of 1.46% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Western Australia, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • Secondary school (+18,614 persons)
  • Pre-school (+15,200 persons)
  • Secondary - Government (+14,197 persons)
  • TAFE/Vocational (+13,067 persons)

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