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AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Capital Cities

Education institution attending

In 2021, 913,875 people in Greater Capital Cities were attending university. This represents 5.5% of the population, compared to 8.0% in Canberra.

The share of Greater Capital Cities'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
Greater Capital Cities - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
Type of institutionNumber%Canberra %Number%Canberra %2006 to 2021
Pre-school326,5532.01.9194,1611.51.3+132,392
Primary school1,365,5788.28.41,037,0088.28.3+328,570
Primary - Government938,0985.75.5697,1085.55.2+240,990
Primary - Catholic252,1461.51.9214,2471.72.3+37,899
Primary - Independent175,3341.11.0125,6461.00.8+49,688
Secondary school1,077,1236.56.1798,4906.37.1+278,633
Secondary - Government597,8703.63.6444,1513.53.9+153,719
Secondary - Catholic248,7301.51.6188,1691.52.0+60,561
Secondary - Independent230,5231.41.0166,1621.31.1+64,361
TAFE/Vocational409,0712.52.6278,0302.22.7+131,041
University913,8755.58.0570,0924.57.0+343,783
Other179,8261.11.391,0750.70.8+88,751
Not attending11,478,37569.367.68,568,48868.066.7+2,909,887
Not stated815,6934.94.01,054,9178.46.1-239,224
Total16,566,094100.0100.012,592,261100.0100.0+3,973,833
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2006 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 Greater Capital Cities in 2021 compared to Canberra 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, 6.5% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 8.0% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.4%, 6.1% and 10.6% respectively for Canberra.

The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in Greater Capital Cities and Canberra were:

  • A larger percentage of persons not attending (69.3% compared to 67.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons attending University (5.5% compared to 8.0%)

Emerging groups

From 2006 to 2021, Greater Capital Cities's population increased by 3,973,848 people (+31.6%). This represents an average annual change of 1.85% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Greater Capital Cities, between 2006 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • University (+343,783 persons)
  • Primary school (+328,570 persons)
  • Secondary school (+278,633 persons)
  • Primary - Government (+240,990 persons)

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