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AustraliaCommunity profile

Western Australia

Education institution attending

In 2021, 65,873 females in Western Australia were attending university. This represents 4.9% of the population, compared to 5.4% in Australia.

The share of Western Australia'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.

Learn more about planning education provision here.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What type of educational institution is the person attending?'

Education institution attending
Western Australia - Total females (Usual residence)20212011Change
Type of institutionNumber%Australia %Number%Australia %2011 to 2021
Pre-school21,8721.61.815,7981.41.5+6,074
Primary school108,2248.17.891,8748.37.9+16,350
Primary - Government75,3775.65.362,3605.65.2+13,017
Primary - Catholic18,2391.41.516,7091.51.6+1,530
Primary - Independent14,6081.11.012,8051.21.0+1,803
Secondary school85,9856.46.261,1075.56.1+24,878
Secondary - Government49,4193.73.530,8662.83.5+18,553
Secondary - Catholic18,2071.41.415,0791.41.4+3,128
Secondary - Independent18,3591.41.315,1621.41.2+3,197
TAFE/Vocational33,1782.52.525,4592.32.3+7,719
University65,8734.95.452,6234.74.9+13,250
Other13,8661.01.18,1090.70.9+5,757
Not attending935,38370.069.8777,77069.969.9+157,613
Not stated72,7895.45.480,2577.26.6-7,468
Total1,337,170100.0100.01,112,997100.0100.0+224,173
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the share of the female population attending educational institutions in Western Australia 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, 8.1% of the female population were attending primary school, 6.4% of the female population were attending secondary institutions, and 7.4% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 7.8%, 6.2% and 7.9% respectively for Australia.

There were no major differences between Western Australia and Australia in 2021.

Emerging groups

From 2011 to 2021, Western Australia's female population increased by 224,173 people (+20.1%). This represents an average annual change of 1.85% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of females attending education institutions in Western Australia, between 2011 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • Secondary school (+24,878 females)
  • Secondary - Government (+18,553 females)
  • Primary school (+16,350 females)
  • University (+13,250 females)

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