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LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 36,277 people in Canberra were attending university. This represents 8.0% of the population, compared to 4.7% in Australia.
The share of Canberra'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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Type of institution | Number | % | Australia % | Number | % | Australia % | 2016 to 2021 |
| Pre-school | 8,837 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 5,899 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +2,938 |
| Primary school | 38,196 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 32,796 | 8.3 | 8.2 | +5,400 |
| Primary - Government | 25,029 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 20,712 | 5.2 | 5.6 | +4,317 |
| Primary - Catholic | 8,725 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 8,120 | 2.0 | 1.6 | +605 |
| Primary - Independent | 4,442 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3,964 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +478 |
| Secondary school | 27,908 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 24,183 | 6.1 | 6.2 | +3,725 |
| Secondary - Government | 16,158 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 13,604 | 3.4 | 3.5 | +2,554 |
| Secondary - Catholic | 7,118 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 6,368 | 1.6 | 1.4 | +750 |
| Secondary - Independent | 4,632 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 4,211 | 1.1 | 1.2 | +421 |
| TAFE/Vocational | 11,821 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 8,159 | 2.1 | 1.8 | +3,662 |
| University | 36,277 | 8.0 | 4.7 | 34,229 | 8.6 | 5.0 | +2,048 |
| Other | 5,757 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 3,159 | 0.8 | 0.8 | +2,598 |
| Not attending | 306,904 | 67.6 | 69.8 | 265,406 | 66.9 | 69.2 | +41,498 |
| Not stated | 18,189 | 4.0 | 5.8 | 23,026 | 5.8 | 7.3 | -4,837 |
| Total | 453,889 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 396,857 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +57,032 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in Canberra 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, 8.4% of the population were attending primary school, 6.1% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 10.6% 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 Canberra and Australia were:
- A larger percentage of persons attending University (8.0% compared to 4.7%)
- A smaller percentage of persons not attending (67.6% compared to 69.8%)
Emerging groups
From 2016 to 2021, Canberra's population increased by 57,032 people (+14.4%). This represents an average annual change of 2.72% per year over the period.
The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Canberra, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:
- Primary school (+5,400 persons)
- Primary - Government (+4,317 persons)
- Secondary school (+3,725 persons)
- TAFE/Vocational (+3,662 persons)
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