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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 183,447 people in South East Queensland were attending university. This represents 5.1% of the population, compared to 8.0% in Australian Capital Territory.
The share of South East Queensland'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.
Q:
Derived from the Census question:
'What type of educational institution is the person attending?'
| Education institution attending | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South East Queensland - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Type of institution | Number | % | Australian Capital Territory % | Number | % | Australian Capital Territory % | 2016 to 2021 |
| Pre-school | 63,120 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 40,430 | 1.3 | 1.5 | +22,690 |
| Primary school | 296,635 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 270,011 | 8.4 | 8.3 | +26,624 |
| Primary - Government | 205,560 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 186,440 | 5.8 | 5.2 | +19,120 |
| Primary - Catholic | 49,688 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 45,810 | 1.4 | 2.0 | +3,878 |
| Primary - Independent | 41,387 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 37,761 | 1.2 | 1.0 | +3,626 |
| Secondary school | 246,610 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 203,083 | 6.3 | 6.1 | +43,527 |
| Secondary - Government | 144,469 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 116,791 | 3.6 | 3.4 | +27,678 |
| Secondary - Catholic | 47,286 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 40,338 | 1.3 | 1.6 | +6,948 |
| Secondary - Independent | 54,855 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 45,954 | 1.4 | 1.1 | +8,901 |
| TAFE/Vocational | 82,309 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 55,925 | 1.7 | 2.1 | +26,384 |
| University | 183,447 | 5.1 | 8.0 | 172,686 | 5.4 | 8.6 | +10,761 |
| Other | 34,834 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 27,760 | 0.9 | 0.8 | +7,074 |
| Not attending | 2,490,488 | 69.5 | 67.6 | 2,217,397 | 69.2 | 66.9 | +273,091 |
| Not stated | 188,340 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 218,830 | 6.8 | 5.8 | -30,490 |
| Total | 3,585,783 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 3,206,122 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +379,661 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in South East Queensland in 2021 compared to Australian Capital Territory shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a higher proportion attending secondary school, and a lower proportion engaged in tertiary level education.
Overall, 8.3% of the population were attending primary school, 6.9% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 7.4% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.4%, 6.1% and 10.6% respectively for Australian Capital Territory.
The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in South East Queensland and Australian Capital Territory were:
- A larger percentage of persons not attending (69.5% compared to 67.6%)
- A smaller percentage of persons attending University (5.1% compared to 8.0%)
Emerging groups
From 2016 to 2021, South East Queensland's population increased by 379,661 people (+11.8%). This represents an average annual change of 2.26% per year over the period.
The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in South East Queensland, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:
- Secondary school (+43,527 persons)
- Secondary - Government (+27,678 persons)
- Primary school (+26,624 persons)
- TAFE/Vocational (+26,384 persons)
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