77.1% ▲ +11.5%
Higher than 99% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 69.1%
- 2016: 72.2%
- 2021: 77.1%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Major Cities of Australia · Remoteness Area
Education & Qualifications in Major Cities of Australia
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
A sharp rise in higher education has defined Major Cities of Australia since 2011. More people are finishing school and university than ever before, with 43% of adults now holding a bachelor's degree or higher. This makes the region one of the most highly qualified areas across the country.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
School completion has climbed by 7.9 percentage points since 2011, meaning 77.1% of people have finished Year 12. This is far above the national figure of 58.8%.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Major Cities of Australia, Year 12 is the majority at 81%; Year 10 is next at 11%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The proportion of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher rose 9 points since 2011 to reach 43%. This is far above the Australian average of 26.3%, with 19.9% of people holding a postgraduate degree.
43.0% ▲ +26.5%
Higher than 99% of remoteness area areas.
- 2011: 34.0%
- 2016: 37.2%
- 2021: 43.0%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →In Major Cities of Australia, the largest group is Bachelor degree at 38%, followed by Postgraduate degree (22%) and Certificate III / IV (17%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study are society and culture and management and commerce, both at 20.1%. Other common qualifications include health (8.7%), engineering (8.4%), and information technology (7.6%).
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Major Cities of Australia
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Major Cities of Australia [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ra/RA80/major-cities-of-australia/topic/education