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AustraliaCommunity profile

Australia

Education institution attending

In 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.

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
Australia - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
Type of institutionNumber%Greater Capital Cities %Number%Greater Capital Cities %2006 to 2021
Pre-school484,1921.92.0307,8171.61.5+176,375
Primary school2,072,1038.28.21,696,7938.58.2+375,310
Primary - Government1,421,3105.65.71,174,5455.95.5+246,765
Primary - Catholic396,7551.61.5336,7311.71.7+60,024
Primary - Independent254,0381.01.1185,5170.91.0+68,521
Secondary school1,627,4886.46.51,275,1476.46.3+352,341
Secondary - Government934,1453.73.6764,8283.93.5+169,317
Secondary - Catholic371,0221.51.5280,7881.41.5+90,234
Secondary - Independent322,3211.31.4229,5311.21.3+92,790
TAFE/Vocational601,8932.42.5428,0232.22.2+173,870
University1,188,0984.75.5745,4483.84.5+442,650
Other242,8261.01.1127,9880.60.7+114,838
Not attending17,744,31569.869.313,633,77568.768.0+4,110,540
Not stated1,461,9015.84.91,640,2968.38.4-178,395
Total25,422,816100.0100.019,855,287100.0100.0+5,567,529
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 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 2006 to 2021, Australia's population increased by 5,567,529 people (+28.0%). This represents an average annual change of 1.66% per year over the period.

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

  • University (+442,650 persons)
  • Primary school (+375,310 persons)
  • Secondary school (+352,341 persons)
  • Primary - Government (+246,765 persons)

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