58.0% ▲ +17.9%
- 2011: 49.1%
- 2016: 53.5%
- 2021: 58.0%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Western Australia · State / Territory
Education & Qualifications in Western Australia
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Higher qualification rates than most similar regions define Western Australia, where 23.8% of adults hold a university degree. This educational growth is evident in the trend across the state, with university degrees and Year 12 completion both rising since 2011.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Around 58% of people in Western Australia completed Year 12, which is about the same as the national figure. This is a significant increase from 2011, when the rate was 49.1%.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Western Australia, Year 12 is the majority at 63%; Year 10 is next at 21%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher rose to 23.8% since 2011, though this remains a little below the Australian average of 26.3%. The most common qualification is a Certificate III or IV, held by 28% of the population.
23.8% ▲ +36.0%
- 2011: 17.5%
- 2016: 20.5%
- 2021: 23.8%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →Western Australia splits fairly evenly between Certificate III / IV (34%) and Bachelor degree (31%), with Advanced diploma / diploma at 18%.
Field of study
What people studied.
Most qualifications in Western Australia are in management and commerce at 17.6%, followed closely by engineering and related fields at 17.1%.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Western Australia
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Western Australia [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ste/5/western-australia/topic/education