CensusAtlas

Brisbane · Urban Area

Education & Qualifications in Brisbane

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

A massive jump in school completion since 2011 defines Brisbane, where 64.6% of people have now finished Year 12. This represents a significant rise in educational attainment for the area, with more residents holding high-level degrees than in most similar places.

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📍 Brisbane, Urban Area

Where Brisbane sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

27.5% ▲ +200.9%

All urban area areas, 2021. The marker is Brisbane — higher than 91% of areas.

Brisbane27.5%
4125, QLD 13.1%
Queensland 21.9%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

Year 12 completion rates in Brisbane have climbed 32 points since 2011. At 64.6%, this is well above the national figure of 58.8% and the Queensland average of 57.1%.

Completed Year 12

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64.6% ▲ +97.4%

Higher than 97% of urban area areas.

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

Highest year of school

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In Brisbane, Year 12 is the majority at 68%; Year 10 is next at 18%.

Year 12 64.6% Year 10 17.1% Year 9 or below 7.1% Year 11 5.6%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

Higher education has also grown, with 27.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is well above the Queensland average of 21.9% and represents an 18 point increase since 2011.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

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27.5% ▲ +200.9%

Higher than 91% of urban area areas.

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

Highest qualification level

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Brisbane splits fairly evenly between Bachelor degree (33%) and Certificate III / IV (30%), with Advanced diploma / diploma at 18%.

Bachelor degree 28.5% Certificate III / IV 26.2% Advanced diploma / diploma 15.3% Postgraduate degree 10.0% Graduate diploma / certificate 4.1% Certificate I / II 2.1%

Field of study

What people studied.

Management and commerce is the most common field of study at 20.9%, followed by engineering and related fields at 13.7% and society and culture at 12.8%.

Sources

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

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Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Brisbane [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/3002/brisbane/topic/education