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AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Sydney

Education institution attending

In 2021, 159,722 females in Greater Sydney were attending university. This represents 6.0% of the population, compared to 5.7% in Victoria.

The share of Greater Sydney'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 Sydney - Total females (Usual residence)20212006Change
Type of institutionNumber%Victoria %Number%Victoria %2006 to 2021
Pre-school51,5741.92.033,2991.61.5+18,275
Primary school207,6847.87.7160,7207.77.8+46,964
Primary - Government140,4175.35.2106,9425.15.2+33,475
Primary - Catholic40,1541.51.634,7361.71.7+5,418
Primary - Independent27,1131.00.919,0410.90.8+8,072
Secondary school166,5186.36.2133,3666.46.6+33,152
Secondary - Government89,4673.43.474,6143.63.8+14,853
Secondary - Catholic42,8941.61.534,8341.71.6+8,060
Secondary - Independent34,1571.31.323,9161.11.3+10,241
TAFE/Vocational73,7302.82.450,6112.42.0+23,119
University159,7226.05.797,4314.74.4+62,291
Other31,8291.21.219,3770.90.9+12,452
Not attending1,821,73168.969.81,412,06667.669.0+409,665
Not stated133,1075.05.0182,8558.87.7-49,748
Total2,645,895100.0100.02,089,725100.0100.0+556,170
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 female population attending educational institutions in Greater Sydney in 2021 compared to Victoria shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a similar proportion attending secondary school, and a higher proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 7.8% of the female population were attending primary school, 6.3% of the female population were attending secondary institutions, and 8.8% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 7.7%, 6.2% and 8.1% respectively for Victoria.

There were no major differences between Greater Sydney and Victoria in 2021.

Emerging groups

From 2006 to 2021, Greater Sydney's female population increased by 556,173 people (+26.6%). This represents an average annual change of 1.59% per year over the period.

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

  • University (+62,291 females)
  • Primary school (+46,964 females)
  • Primary - Government (+33,475 females)
  • Secondary school (+33,152 females)

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