idc-logo
svg rectangle color
AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Sydney

Qualifications

33.4% of people in Greater Sydney had a Bachelor or Higher degree qualification in 2021, higher than Australia. This represents an increase of 312,357 people since 2016.

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, Greater Sydney's Educational Qualifications help to evaluate the economic opportunities and socio-economic status of the area and identify skill gaps in the labour market.

Learn more about planning education provision here.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What is the level of the highest qualification the person has completed?'

Highest qualification achieved
Greater Sydney - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)20212016Change
Qualification levelNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %2016 to 2021
Bachelor or Higher degree1,423,35833.426.31,111,00128.322.0+312,357
Advanced Diploma or Diploma412,7409.79.4365,9859.38.9+46,755
Vocational629,52414.819.1590,68715.118.8+38,837
No qualification1,459,90234.236.81,479,04537.739.9-19,143
Not stated342,4198.08.5376,9839.610.5-34,564
Total persons aged 15+4,267,943100.0100.03,923,701100.0100.0+344,242
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 qualifications of the population in Greater Sydney in 2021 compared to Australia shows that there was a higher proportion of people holding formal qualifications (Bachelor or higher degree; Advanced Diploma or Diploma; or Vocational qualifications), and a lower proportion of people with no formal qualifications.

Overall, 57.8% of the population aged 15 and over held educational qualifications, and 34.2% had no qualifications, compared with 54.7% and 36.8% respectively for Australia.

The major differences between qualifications held by the population of Greater Sydney and Australia were:

  • A larger percentage of persons with Bachelor or Higher degrees (33.4% compared to 26.3%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons with Vocational qualifications (14.8% compared to 19.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons with No qualifications (34.2% compared to 36.8%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the qualifications of the population in Greater Sydney between 2016 and 2021 were in those with:

  • Bachelor or Higher degrees (+312,357 persons)
  • Advanced Diploma or Diplomas (+46,755 persons)
  • Vocational qualifications (+38,837 persons)
  • No qualifications (-19,143 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.