Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Australia
Australia: Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private was 86.8% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Australia, 1974–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 86.8% for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in 2021. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Australia peaked at 86.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 18.8%, in 1977.
Australia ranks 21st of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 21.9% | — |
| 1975 | 19.5% | -11.1% |
| 1976 | 18.8% | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 18.8% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 19.0% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 21.5% | +13.3% |
| 1980 | 22.5% | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 23.2% | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 24.3% | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 25.2% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 26.3% | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 26.0% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 26.1% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 26.0% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 26.3% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 26.1% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 26.2% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 26.2% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 26.2% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 25.9% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 26.5% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 62.6% | +136.5% |
| 2002 | 66.2% | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 80.2% | +21.2% |
| 2004 | 81.1% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 78.8% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 82.2% | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 76.1% | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 76.1% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 76.2% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 75.0% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 75.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 78.0% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 63.2% | -18.9% |
| 2014 | 77.0% | +21.8% |
| 2015 | 79.4% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 84.2% | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 84.7% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 85.6% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 85.8% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 86.8% | +1.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 86.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.6%, 2.8× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Australia's 86.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 31.2%, 2.8× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +136.5% | 26.5% | 62.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.9% | 18.8% | 21.9% | 6 |
| 1980s | 25.2% | 22.5% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.2% | 25.9% | 26.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 75.5% | 62.6% | 82.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 78.1% | 63.2% | 85.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 86.3% | 85.8% | 86.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 18 Oman 90.2% compare
- 19 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 89.1% compare
- 20 Saint Lucia 87.8% compare
- 22 Qatar 84.4% compare
- 23 Guinea-Bissau 84.3% compare
- 24 Congo 83.6% compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Australia?
- Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private in Australia was 86.8% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 86.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.8% in 1977.
- How does Australia rank for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private?
- Australia ranks 21st out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in private institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release