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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 9,236 people in Northern Territory were attending university. This represents 4.0% of the population, compared to 4.7% in Australia.
The share of Northern Territory'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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2001 | Change | ||||
| Type of institution | Number | % | Australia % | Number | % | Australia % | 2001 to 2021 |
| Pre-school | 4,252 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2,891 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1,361 |
| Primary school | 21,286 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 21,513 | 11.4 | 9.4 | -227 |
| Primary - Government | 16,345 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 17,017 | 9.0 | 6.7 | -672 |
| Primary - Catholic | 2,567 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3,054 | 1.6 | 1.8 | -487 |
| Primary - Independent | 2,374 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1,442 | 0.8 | 0.9 | +932 |
| Secondary school | 13,624 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 10,406 | 5.5 | 6.8 | +3,218 |
| Secondary - Government | 8,829 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 7,343 | 3.9 | 4.2 | +1,486 |
| Secondary - Catholic | 2,239 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1,405 | 0.7 | 1.4 | +834 |
| Secondary - Independent | 2,556 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1,658 | 0.9 | 1.1 | +898 |
| TAFE/Vocational | 4,265 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3,165 | 1.7 | 2.6 | +1,100 |
| University | 9,236 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 6,622 | 3.5 | 3.8 | +2,614 |
| Other | 2,340 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1,344 | 0.7 | 0.8 | +996 |
| Not attending | 153,276 | 65.9 | 69.8 | 124,755 | 66.3 | 70.3 | +28,521 |
| Not stated | 24,327 | 10.5 | 5.8 | 17,373 | 9.2 | 4.8 | +6,954 |
| Total | 232,606 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 188,069 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +44,537 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in Northern Territory in 2021 compared to Australia shows that there was a higher proportion attending primary school, a lower proportion attending secondary school, and a lower proportion engaged in tertiary level education.
Overall, 9.2% of the population were attending primary school, 5.9% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 5.8% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.2%, 6.4% and 7.0% respectively for Australia.
The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in Northern Territory and Australia were:
- A larger percentage of persons attending a Government primary school (7.0% compared to 5.6%)
- A larger percentage of persons attending a primary school (any type) (9.2% compared to 8.2%)
- A smaller percentage of persons not attending (65.9% compared to 69.8%)
Emerging groups
From 2001 to 2021, Northern Territory's population increased by 44,537 people (+23.7%). This represents an average annual change of 1.07% per year over the period.
The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Northern Territory, between 2001 and 2021 were in those who nominated:
- Secondary school (+3,218 persons)
- University (+2,614 persons)
- Secondary - Government (+1,486 persons)
- Pre-school (+1,361 persons)
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