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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 1,188,098 people in Australia were attending university. This represents 4.7% of the population, compared to 5.5% in Greater Capital Cities.
The share of 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.
Q:
Derived from the Census question:
'What type of educational institution is the person attending?'
| Education institution attending | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2001 | Change | ||||
| Type of institution | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2001 to 2021 |
| Pre-school | 484,192 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 277,844 | 1.5 | 1.4 | +206,348 |
| Primary school | 2,072,103 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 1,771,407 | 9.4 | 9.0 | +300,696 |
| Primary - Government | 1,421,310 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 1,266,286 | 6.7 | 6.2 | +155,024 |
| Primary - Catholic | 396,755 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 343,052 | 1.8 | 1.9 | +53,703 |
| Primary - Independent | 254,038 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 162,069 | 0.9 | 0.9 | +91,969 |
| Secondary school | 1,627,488 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 1,267,104 | 6.8 | 6.7 | +360,384 |
| Secondary - Government | 934,145 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 794,625 | 4.2 | 3.9 | +139,520 |
| Secondary - Catholic | 371,022 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 270,749 | 1.4 | 1.5 | +100,273 |
| Secondary - Independent | 322,321 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 201,730 | 1.1 | 1.3 | +120,591 |
| TAFE/Vocational | 601,893 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 493,924 | 2.6 | 2.7 | +107,969 |
| University | 1,188,098 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 722,103 | 3.8 | 4.6 | +465,995 |
| Other | 242,826 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 144,548 | 0.8 | 0.9 | +98,278 |
| Not attending | 17,744,315 | 69.8 | 69.3 | 13,191,621 | 70.3 | 69.9 | +4,552,694 |
| Not stated | 1,461,901 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 900,671 | 4.8 | 4.8 | +561,230 |
| Total | 25,422,816 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 18,769,222 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +6,653,594 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in 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, 8.2% of the population were attending primary school, 6.4% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 7.0% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.2%, 6.5% and 8.0% respectively for Greater Capital Cities.
There were no major differences between Australia and Greater Capital Cities in 2021.
Emerging groups
From 2001 to 2021, Australia's population increased by 6,653,594 people (+35.4%). This represents an average annual change of 1.53% per year over the period.
The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Australia, between 2001 and 2021 were in those who nominated:
- University (+465,995 persons)
- Secondary school (+360,384 persons)
- Primary school (+300,696 persons)
- Pre-school (+206,348 persons)
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