idc-logo
svg rectangle color
AustraliaCommunity profile

New South Wales

Education institution attending

In 2021, 376,027 people in New South Wales were attending university. This represents 4.7% of the population, compared to 4.7% in Australia.

The share of New South Wales'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
New South Wales - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Type of institutionNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %2016 to 2021
Pre-school167,1962.11.9132,0431.81.5+35,153
Primary school650,3488.18.2607,1708.18.2+43,178
Primary - Government444,9855.55.6417,4685.65.6+27,517
Primary - Catholic127,4871.61.6122,0951.61.6+5,392
Primary - Independent77,8761.01.067,6070.91.0+10,269
Secondary school511,4796.36.4466,8566.26.2+44,623
Secondary - Government290,4143.63.7269,2523.63.5+21,162
Secondary - Catholic126,1801.61.5117,6861.61.4+8,494
Secondary - Independent94,8851.21.379,9181.11.2+14,967
TAFE/Vocational207,5862.62.4144,1031.91.8+63,483
University376,0274.74.7376,1335.05.0-106
Other74,3310.91.063,6680.90.8+10,663
Not attending5,618,17769.669.85,154,98768.969.2+463,190
Not stated467,0215.85.8535,2617.27.3-68,240
Total8,072,165100.0100.07,480,221100.0100.0+591,944
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 population attending educational institutions in New South Wales in 2021 compared to Australia shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a similar proportion attending secondary school, and a similar proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 8.1% of the population were attending primary school, 6.3% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 7.2% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.2%, 6.4% and 7.0% respectively for Australia.

There were no major differences between New South Wales and Australia in 2021.

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, New South Wales's population increased by 591,944 people (+7.9%). This represents an average annual change of 1.53% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in New South Wales, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • TAFE/Vocational (+63,483 persons)
  • Secondary school (+44,623 persons)
  • Primary school (+43,178 persons)
  • Pre-school (+35,153 persons)

DISCLAIMER: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.

Please view our Privacy Policy, Terms of use and Legal notices.

ABS Data and the copyright in the ABS Data remains the property of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the ABS Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. ABS Data can be accessed from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at www.abs.gov.au. ABS data can be used under license - terms published on ABS website. intermediary.management@abs.gov.au if you have any queries or wish to distribute any ABS data.