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AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Capital Cities

Education institution attending

In 2021, 517,230 females in Greater Capital Cities were attending university. This represents 6.2% of the population, compared to 5.4% in Australia.

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 females (Usual residence)20212016Change
Type of institutionNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %2016 to 2021
Pre-school155,9221.91.8110,1331.41.4+45,789
Primary school665,5047.97.8606,3327.97.9+59,172
Primary - Government453,1105.45.3405,9515.35.4+47,159
Primary - Catholic124,8671.51.5121,6291.61.6+3,238
Primary - Independent87,5271.01.078,7521.01.0+8,775
Secondary school528,8386.36.2464,2136.06.0+64,625
Secondary - Government289,1063.43.5250,4833.23.4+38,623
Secondary - Catholic124,1791.51.4112,9491.51.4+11,230
Secondary - Independent115,5531.41.3100,7811.31.2+14,772
TAFE/Vocational218,8912.62.5151,3232.02.0+67,568
University517,2306.25.4497,2226.55.5+20,008
Other100,0151.21.190,5861.21.0+9,429
Not attending5,823,73269.369.85,293,53168.769.1+530,201
Not stated390,8734.75.4494,3806.47.1-103,507
Total8,401,005100.0100.07,707,720100.0100.0+693,285
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 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 Capital Cities in 2021 compared to Australia 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, 7.9% 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 7.8%, 6.2% and 7.9% respectively for Australia.

There were no major differences between Greater Capital Cities and Australia in 2021.

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, Greater Capital Cities's female population increased by 693,285 people (+9.0%). This represents an average annual change of 1.74% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of females attending education institutions in Greater Capital Cities, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • TAFE/Vocational (+67,568 females)
  • Secondary school (+64,625 females)
  • Primary school (+59,172 females)
  • Primary - Government (+47,159 females)

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