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AustraliaCommunity profile

Queensland

Education institution attending

In 2021, 224,196 people in Queensland were attending university. This represents 4.3% of the population, compared to 4.7% in Australia.

The share of 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.

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
Queensland - Total persons (Usual residence)20212001Change
Type of institutionNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %2001 to 2021
Pre-school84,5351.61.952,5501.51.5+31,985
Primary school425,4038.38.2346,2699.99.4+79,134
Primary - Government292,0495.75.6257,9577.46.7+34,092
Primary - Catholic79,5101.51.655,2821.61.8+24,228
Primary - Independent53,8441.01.033,0300.90.9+20,814
Secondary school352,0986.86.4224,6076.46.8+127,491
Secondary - Government209,4594.13.7141,3664.04.2+68,093
Secondary - Catholic73,0141.41.542,3721.21.4+30,642
Secondary - Independent69,6251.41.340,8691.21.1+28,756
TAFE/Vocational110,2212.12.472,9672.12.6+37,254
University224,1964.34.7136,6523.93.8+87,544
Other47,3840.91.022,5960.60.8+24,788
Not attending3,585,02069.569.82,498,95171.270.3+1,086,069
Not stated327,2886.35.8155,0154.44.8+172,273
Total5,156,145100.0100.03,509,607100.0100.0+1,646,538
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2001 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 Queensland in 2021 compared to Australia 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, 8.3% of the population were attending primary school, 6.8% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 6.5% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.2%, 6.4% and 7.0% respectively for Australia.

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

Emerging groups

From 2001 to 2021, Queensland's population increased by 1,646,538 people (+46.9%). This represents an average annual change of 1.94% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Queensland, between 2001 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • Secondary school (+127,491 persons)
  • University (+87,544 persons)
  • Primary school (+79,134 persons)
  • Secondary - Government (+68,093 persons)

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