CensusAtlas

South Australia · State / Territory

Education & Qualifications in South Australia

How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.

Nearly 10 percentage points more people in South Australia finished Year 12 between 2011 and 2021. While the state has seen a steady rise in schooling and university degrees, its overall education levels remain lower than the national figures.

Open map →
📍 South Australia, State / Territory

Where South Australia sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

22.7% ▲ +42.5%

All state / territory areas, 2021. The marker is South Australia.

South Australia22.7%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

About 54.6% of residents have completed Year 12, which is well below the Australian figure of 58.8%. This result is around the middle for similar areas, with 16.2% of people reaching Year 11 as their highest level.

Completed Year 12

View on map →

54.6% ▲ +22.0%

Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.

Highest year of school

View on map →

In South Australia, Year 12 is the majority at 58%; Year 11 is next at 17%.

Year 12 54.6% Year 11 16.2% Year 10 14.3% Year 9 or below 9.4%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 22.7% of the population, a figure that is well below the 26.3% national average. This group grew by 6.8 percentage points since 2011, and Certificate III or IV qualifications are the most common at 29.7%.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

View on map →

22.7% ▲ +42.5%

Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).

Highest qualification level

View on map →

South Australia splits fairly evenly between Certificate III / IV (35%) and Bachelor degree (30%), with Advanced diploma / diploma at 17%.

Certificate III / IV 29.7% Bachelor degree 25.8% Advanced diploma / diploma 14.6% Postgraduate degree 8.8% Graduate diploma / certificate 3.8% Certificate I / II 2.3%

Field of study

What people studied.

Management and commerce is the most common field of study at 17.9%. This is followed by engineering and related fields at 14.6%, and society and culture at 13.2%.

Sources

  • Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).

More for South Australia

Full area profile →

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in South Australia [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ste/4/south-australia/topic/education