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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 86,231 people in Regional NSW were attending university. This represents 3.0% of the population, compared to 4.7% in Australia.
The share of Regional NSW'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 NSW - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Type of institution | Number | % | Australia % | Number | % | Australia % | 2016 to 2021 |
| Pre-school | 58,613 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 48,072 | 1.8 | 1.5 | +10,541 |
| Primary school | 223,289 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 215,482 | 8.2 | 8.2 | +7,807 |
| Primary - Government | 153,604 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 151,036 | 5.7 | 5.6 | +2,568 |
| Primary - Catholic | 46,751 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 44,691 | 1.7 | 1.6 | +2,060 |
| Primary - Independent | 22,934 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 19,755 | 0.7 | 1.0 | +3,179 |
| Secondary school | 172,587 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 162,913 | 6.2 | 6.2 | +9,674 |
| Secondary - Government | 106,376 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 103,551 | 3.9 | 3.5 | +2,825 |
| Secondary - Catholic | 40,330 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 37,603 | 1.4 | 1.4 | +2,727 |
| Secondary - Independent | 25,881 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 21,759 | 0.8 | 1.2 | +4,122 |
| TAFE/Vocational | 69,642 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 51,103 | 1.9 | 1.8 | +18,539 |
| University | 86,231 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 81,645 | 3.1 | 5.0 | +4,586 |
| Other | 15,470 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 13,291 | 0.5 | 0.8 | +2,179 |
| Not attending | 2,011,603 | 71.1 | 69.8 | 1,853,152 | 70.1 | 69.2 | +158,451 |
| Not stated | 192,208 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 217,882 | 8.2 | 7.3 | -25,674 |
| Total | 2,829,643 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 2,643,540 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +186,103 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in Regional NSW in 2021 compared to Australia 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, 7.9% of the population were attending primary school, 6.1% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 5.5% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.2%, 6.4% and 7.0% respectively for Australia.
The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in Regional NSW and Australia were:
- A larger percentage of persons not attending (71.1% compared to 69.8%)
- A smaller percentage of persons attending University (3.0% compared to 4.7%)
Emerging groups
From 2016 to 2021, Regional NSW's population increased by 186,103 people (+7.0%). This represents an average annual change of 1.37% per year over the period.
The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Regional NSW, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:
- TAFE/Vocational (+18,539 persons)
- Pre-school (+10,541 persons)
- Secondary school (+9,674 persons)
- Primary school (+7,807 persons)
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