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 .id23.8% of people in Regional Australia had a Vocational qualification in 2021, higher than South Australia. This represents an increase of 572,461 people since 2006.
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, Regional 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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional Australia - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2006 | Change | ||||
| Qualification level | Number | % | South Australia % | Number | % | South Australia % | 2006 to 2021 |
| Bachelor or Higher degree | 1,162,816 | 17.0 | 22.7 | 544,394 | 9.9 | 13.0 | +618,422 |
| Advanced Diploma or Diploma | 597,690 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 330,837 | 6.0 | 6.5 | +266,853 |
| Vocational | 1,630,244 | 23.8 | 20.7 | 1,057,783 | 19.2 | 17.2 | +572,461 |
| No qualification | 2,744,717 | 40.1 | 40.8 | 2,837,033 | 51.6 | 51.7 | -92,316 |
| Not stated | 708,585 | 10.4 | 7.2 | 732,793 | 13.3 | 11.6 | -24,208 |
| Total persons aged 15+ | 6,844,052 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 5,502,840 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +1,341,212 |
Dominant groups
Analysis of the qualifications of the population in Regional Australia in 2021 compared to South Australia shows that there was a lower proportion of people holding formal qualifications (Bachelor or higher degree; Advanced Diploma or Diploma; or Vocational qualifications), as well as a lower proportion of people with no formal qualifications.
Overall, 49.5% of the population aged 15 and over held educational qualifications, and 40.1% had no qualifications, compared with 52.0% and 40.8% respectively for South Australia.
The major differences between qualifications held by the population of Regional Australia and South Australia were:
- A larger percentage of persons with Vocational qualifications (23.8% compared to 20.7%)
- A smaller percentage of persons with Bachelor or Higher degrees (17.0% compared to 22.7%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the qualifications of the population in Regional Australia between 2006 and 2021 were in those with:
- Bachelor or Higher degrees (+618,422 persons)
- Vocational qualifications (+572,461 persons)
- Advanced Diploma or Diplomas (+266,853 persons)
- No qualifications (-92,316 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.