Powered by .id (informed decisions) for Australia
.id community is an evidence base for over 250 local government areas in Australia and New Zealand, helping you make informed decisions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT .id26.3% of people in Australia had a Bachelor or Higher degree qualification in 2021, lower than Greater Capital Cities. This represents an increase of 3,545,193 people since 2001.
Educational Qualifications relate to education outside of primary and secondary school and are one of the most important indicators of socio-economic status. With other data sources, such as Employment Status, Income and Occupation, Australia's Educational Qualifications help to evaluate the economic opportunities and socio-economic status of the area and identify skill gaps in the labour market.
Q:
Derived from the Census question:
'What is the level of the highest qualification the person has completed?'
| Highest qualification achieved | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2001 | Change | ||||
| Qualification level | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2001 to 2021 |
| Bachelor or Higher degree | 5,464,104 | 26.3 | 30.6 | 1,918,911 | 12.9 | 15.2 | +3,545,193 |
| Advanced Diploma or Diploma | 1,946,452 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 892,362 | 6.0 | 6.5 | +1,054,090 |
| Vocational | 3,961,900 | 19.1 | 16.8 | 2,341,929 | 15.8 | 15.1 | +1,619,971 |
| No qualification | 7,642,173 | 36.8 | 35.3 | 8,000,027 | 53.8 | 51.9 | -357,854 |
| Not stated | 1,766,208 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 1,703,489 | 11.5 | 11.2 | +62,719 |
| Total persons aged 15+ | 20,780,837 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 14,856,718 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +5,924,119 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the qualifications of the population in Australia in 2021 compared to Greater Capital Cities shows that there was a lower proportion of people holding formal qualifications (Bachelor or higher degree; Advanced Diploma or Diploma; or Vocational qualifications), and a higher proportion of people with no formal qualifications.
Overall, 54.7% of the population aged 15 and over held educational qualifications, and 36.8% had no qualifications, compared with 57.1% and 35.3% respectively for Greater Capital Cities.
The major differences between qualifications held by the population of Australia and Greater Capital Cities were:
- A larger percentage of persons with Vocational qualifications (19.1% compared to 16.8%)
- A larger percentage of persons with No qualifications (36.8% compared to 35.3%)
- A smaller percentage of persons with Bachelor or Higher degrees (26.3% compared to 30.6%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the qualifications of the population in Australia between 2001 and 2021 were in those with:
- Bachelor or Higher degrees (+3,545,193 persons)
- Vocational qualifications (+1,619,971 persons)
- Advanced Diploma or Diplomas (+1,054,090 persons)
- No qualifications (-357,854 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.