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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 236,839 people in Regional Australia were attending university. This represents 2.8% of the population, compared to 5.2% in Greater Darwin.
The share of Regional 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional Australia - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2006 | Change | ||||
| Type of institution | Number | % | Greater Darwin % | Number | % | Greater Darwin % | 2006 to 2021 |
| Pre-school | 148,394 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 109,243 | 1.6 | 1.4 | +39,151 |
| Primary school | 666,262 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 632,519 | 9.1 | 9.9 | +33,743 |
| Primary - Government | 456,464 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 460,423 | 6.6 | 7.6 | -3,959 |
| Primary - Catholic | 135,767 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 114,892 | 1.7 | 1.3 | +20,875 |
| Primary - Independent | 74,031 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 57,199 | 0.8 | 1.1 | +16,832 |
| Secondary school | 521,212 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 453,653 | 6.5 | 5.6 | +67,559 |
| Secondary - Government | 319,137 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 307,749 | 4.4 | 3.8 | +11,388 |
| Secondary - Catholic | 115,067 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 86,122 | 1.2 | 0.8 | +28,945 |
| Secondary - Independent | 87,008 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 59,778 | 0.9 | 1.0 | +27,230 |
| TAFE/Vocational | 180,085 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 141,272 | 2.0 | 1.2 | +38,813 |
| University | 236,839 | 2.8 | 5.2 | 152,696 | 2.2 | 4.1 | +84,143 |
| Other | 56,824 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 34,209 | 0.5 | 0.7 | +22,615 |
| Not attending | 5,925,755 | 71.0 | 65.2 | 4,847,714 | 69.9 | 64.5 | +1,078,041 |
| Not stated | 609,779 | 7.3 | 9.4 | 565,416 | 8.2 | 12.7 | +44,363 |
| Total | 8,345,150 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 6,936,722 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +1,408,428 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in Regional Australia in 2021 compared to Greater Darwin shows that there was a lower proportion attending primary school, a similar proportion attending secondary school, and a lower proportion engaged in tertiary level education.
Overall, 8.0% of the population were attending primary school, 6.2% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 5.0% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.6%, 6.2% and 7.5% respectively for Greater Darwin.
The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in Regional Australia and Greater Darwin were:
- A larger percentage of persons not attending (71.0% compared to 65.2%)
- A smaller percentage of persons attending University (2.8% compared to 5.2%)
Emerging groups
From 2006 to 2021, Regional Australia's population increased by 1,408,437 people (+20.3%). This represents an average annual change of 1.24% per year over the period.
The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Regional Australia, between 2006 and 2021 were in those who nominated:
- University (+84,143 persons)
- Secondary school (+67,559 persons)
- Pre-school (+39,151 persons)
- TAFE/Vocational (+38,813 persons)
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