Greater Sydney
Qualifications
28.2% of people in Greater Sydney had a Bachelor or Higher degree qualification in 2016, higher than Western Australia. This represents an increase of 448,021 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, 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.
Derived from the Census question:
'What is the level of the highest qualification the person has completed?'
Persons aged 15 years and over
| Highest qualification achieved | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Sydney - Persons aged 15+ (Enumerated) | 2016 | 2006 | Change | |||||
| Qualification level | Number | % | Western Australia % | Number | % | Western Australia % | 2006 to 2016 | |
| Bachelor or Higher degree | 1,106,359 | 28.2 | 20.5 | 5001 | 658,338 | 20.0 | 14.5 | +448,021 |
| Advanced Diploma or Diploma | 364,519 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 5002 | 265,854 | 8.1 | 7.4 | +98,665 |
| Vocational | 588,799 | 15.0 | 20.5 | 5003 | 490,957 | 14.9 | 17.6 | +97,842 |
| No qualification | 1,477,744 | 37.7 | 38.8 | 5004 | 1,412,932 | 42.8 | 46.7 | +64,812 |
| Not stated | 379,110 | 9.7 | 11.3 | 5005 | 471,341 | 14.3 | 13.8 | -92,231 |
| Total persons aged 15+ | 3,916,531 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 3,299,422 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +617,109 | |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing (opens a new window) 2006 and 2016. Compiled and presented by .id (opens a new window)(informed decisions).
(Enumerated data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Dominant groups
Analysis of the qualifications of the population in Greater Sydney in 2016 compared to Western 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, 52.6% of the population aged 15 and over held educational qualifications, and 37.7% had no qualifications, compared with 49.9% and 38.8% respectively for Western Australia.
The major differences between qualifications held by the population of Greater Sydney and Western Australia were:
- A larger percentage of persons with Bachelor or Higher degrees (28.2% compared to 20.5%)
- A smaller percentage of persons with Vocational qualifications (15.0% compared to 20.5%)
- A smaller percentage of persons with No qualifications (37.7% compared to 38.8%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the qualifications of the population in Greater Sydney between 2006 and 2016 were in those with:
- Bachelor or Higher degrees (+448,021 persons)
- Advanced Diploma or Diplomas (+98,665 persons)
- Vocational qualifications (+97,842 persons)
- No qualifications (+64,812 persons)