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This social report of Australia's children presents a range of population and social statistics on Australian Children aged under 18. The report concentrates on issues which impact on children including family life, physical environment, economic environment, health and education. Also includes tables, graphs, textual commentary and analysis of the data. Where data are available, trends over time and State and Territory differences are analysed.

MAIN FINDINGS


POPULATION

At 30 June 1997 there were 4.7 million children aged 0-17 in Australia. Although the number of children is increasing each year, they make up a declining proportion of the population. Children comprised 34% of the total population in 1971 but this had declined to 25% in 1997. The decline is expected to continue into the next century. From around 2020, for the first time, children are projected to form a smaller proportion of the population than persons aged 60 and over.

Indigenous children represent around 4% of all children in Australia. The number of Indigenous children increased by 12% between 1991 and 1996, compared with a 2% increase in the total number of children.

In 1996, the vast majority (94%) of children lived with at least one of their parents. However, children were more likely to have parents who were in a de facto relationship or to be living in one-parent families than they were ten years previously.

In 1996, 91% of Australian families with children were so-called 'nuclear' families with only parents, or a parent, and their children usually resident in the household. Of the 165,400 children in extended one-family households, 56% had a grandparent living with them, and of the 106,000 children in multifamily households, 71% were living with their grandparents' family.

The average Australian family (with at least one child aged 0-17) had 1.9 children aged 0-17 in 1996. Among these families, 38% had only one child in this age range, while 40% had two children, 17% had three children and 6% had four or more children. Indigenous families, families in rural areas and blended families tended to have more children than the average.

More than 50,000 children were affected by the divorce of their parents during 1997. Although the annual number of divorces rose from 39,700 to 51,300 between 1987 and 1997, the proportion involving children fell from 59% to 54% of all divorces. Almost 1 million children (21% of all children) had one natural parent living outside their household, usually as a consequence of marriage or relationship breakdown.


ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

The economic wellbeing of children is largely determined by their parents' employment, income and assets. In 1996-97, just over half (54%) of children in couple families had both parents employed and a further 38% had one parent employed. For children in one-parent families, less than half (44%) lived with a parent who was employed. Parents with young children, particularly mothers, were less likely than those with older children to be employed.

Children were slightly more likely to live in families ranked at the lower end of the income distribution. When ranked on income adjusted for the differing needs of different sized families (i.e. equivalent income), 70% of children in one-parent families and 41% of children in couple families were in the lowest 40% of the income distribution in 1996-97.


PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

In 1996, 88% of families with children lived in separate houses, 5% lived in semi-detached dwellings and 5% lived in flats, units or apartments. Living in medium and higher density dwellings was more common among one-parent families than couple families, and was also associated with the presence of young children in the family and low income.

In 1996, 76% of all couple families with children owned or were purchasing the home in which they lived, compared with 39% of one-parent families. Home ownership was less common among low income families, families which had young children only and Indigenous families. In 1996, 26% of Indigenous families owned or were purchasing the home in which they lived.


HEALTH

Overall Australian children are the healthiest group in the population. In 1995, 18% of children had visited a doctor in the two weeks prior to interview, compared with 25% of the adult population. Fewer children (52%) than adults (75%) had used medication during this period. The most commonly reported medical condition among children was asthma, affecting 16% of all children as either a recent illness or a long-term condition.

Australia's infant mortality rate has shown a continuing and appreciable decline during this century, and in more recent years fell from 17 per 1,000 live births in 1971 to 5.3 per 1,000 in 1997. Of all infant deaths during the period 1992-96, 38% occurred on the day of birth, 27% in the remainder of the neonatal period (the first 28 days after birth) and 35% in the postneonatal period (from 28 days until the end of the first year). Deaths among children over the age of 1 are relatively uncommon. In 1997, there were 1,106 deaths of children aged 1-17, with almost half (48%) attributable to accidents, poisoning's or violence. Motor vehicle accidents and drownings were the major causes of these deaths.


EDUCATION

In 1997, there were 1.9 million primary students and 1.3 million secondary students in Australian schools. Almost three-quarters (74%) of all primary students and two-thirds (66%) of all secondary students attended government schools. Of the remainder, most attended Catholic schools.

	Units	Reference period	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT	Aust.
POPULATION
Estimated Resident Population
Total persons aged 0-17	000	Jun 1997p	1574.9	1136.6	891.0	357.1	473.4	125.6	58.4	80.9	4699.0
Males	000	Jun 1997p	806.9	581.7	457.9	183.1	243.2	64.2	30.3	41.2	2409.2
Females	000	Jun 1997p	767.9	554.9	433.1	174.0	230.2	61.3	28.1	39.7	2289.8
Persons aged 0-4	000	Jun 1997p	438.4	313.8	242.7	96.8	127.0	33.4	18.0	21.9	1292.2
Persons aged 5-11	000	Jun 1997p	615.3	445.1	345.8	139.7	187.0	49.2	23.1	31.3	1837.0
Persons aged 12-14	000	Jun 1997p	262.0	188.9	153.1	61.5	81.0	21.8	8.9	13.6	791.1
Persons aged 15-17	000	Jun 1997p	259.1	188.8	149.5	59.2	78.4	21.1	8.4	14.1	778.6
Persons aged 0-17 as a proportion of total population	%	Jun 1997p	25.1	24.7	26.2	24.1	26.3	26.5	31.2	26.1	25.4
Indigenous persons aged 0-17(a)	000	Jun 1997	55.1	10.5	51.9	10.4	26.7	7.9	23.5	1.5	187.5
Persons aged 0-17 born overseas	000	Aug 1996	121.4	78.1	50.7	17.0	42.8	2.9	2.4	6.1	321.5
Proportion from a MESC	%	Aug 1996	25.5	25.1	52.4	38.1	54.1	51.6	33.6	32.5	34.5
Persons aged 0-17 who arrived from overseas between 1991-1996	000	Aug 1996	57.3	34.5	22.8	7.1	17.4	1.1	1.0	2.5	143.7
Proportion of persons aged 0-17 in rural areas	%	Aug 1996	13.3	14.4	21.6	15.9	14.3	29.9	30.2	0.8	15.9
Number of births	000	1997	87.2	60.7	47.0	18.4	24.8	6.0	3.6	4.2	251.8
Teenage birth rate: mothers aged 15-17 (confinements per 1,000 females aged 15-17)(b)	no.	1997	9.3	5.7	12.7	8.1	10.9	14.7	58.1	7.8	9.8
Total fertility rate	no.	1997	1.8	1.7	1.8	1.7	1.8	1.8	2.2	1.6	1.8
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
Families with dependants aged 0-24
Couple families	000	Jun 1998	672.2	512.4	367.9	156.3	193.9	50.1	16.3	33.1	2002.2
Lone mother families	000	Jun 1998	171.1	115.3	91.9	40.8	45.9	13.3	3.2	6.6	488.0
Lone father families	000	Jun 1998	18.8	17.7	10.5	4.7	5.4	1.9	**0.2	1.6	60.8
One-parent families as a proportion of all families	%	Jun 1998	22.0	20.6	21.8	22.5	20.9	23.3	17.0	19.9	21.5
Children aged 0-17 living with parents(c)	000	Apr 1997	1553.3	1124.7	865.9	351.7	460.4	124.3	39.6	79.6	4615.3
In intact family	%	Apr 1997	72.8	78.0	72.1	73.2	70.9	68.1	70.9	72.0	73.6
In step/blended family	%	Apr 1997	7.6	6.8	8.5	8.5	8.8	10.9	11.8	7.0	7.9
In lone mother family	%	Apr 1997	16.9	13.1	17.5	15.8	18.1	18.1	14.9	17.0	16.1
In one-parent family	%	Apr 1997	19.3	15.0	19.3	18.2	20.3	20.8	17.3	20.7	18.3
Who live with natural mother	%	Apr 1997	95.9	96.8	96.6	96.4	96.3	94.9	94.4	94.7	96.2
Who live with natural father	%	Apr 1997	77.9	82.7	76.9	78.3	75.7	74.7	78.6	77.5	78.6
Children aged 0-17 with a natural parent living elsewhere(c)	000	Apr 1997	342.5	195.2	194.5	75.6	108.9	30.4	9.3	18.8	978.4
Who visited parent frequently (at least once per fortnight)	%	Apr 1997	44.7	48.6	34.2	49.6	42.8	47.5	44.7	49.2	43.7
Who visited parent rarely (at most once per year) or never	%	Apr 1997	35.1	29.9	42.6	30.2	34.4	37.0	32.4	28.2	35.0
Living in sole care arrangements	%	Apr 1997	97.8	97.2	98.6	96.4	97.6	93.1	97.3	90.0	97.4
Children aged 0-11(d)
Attending formal child care only	%	Mar 1996	12.3	11.9	13.3	12.0	9.5	8.1	*11.9	17.3	12.0
Attending informal child care only	%	Mar 1996	26.4	31.2	25.6	32.2	28.6	32.7	26.4	27.5	28.3
Attending both formal and informal child care	%	Mar 1996	8.1	8.4	7.4	10.3	6.7	7.1	*6.9	11.7	8.1
Not attending child care	%	Mar 1996	53.3	48.5	53.7	45.5	55.2	52.1	54.8	43.5	51.6
Divorces
Involving children	000	1997	7.5	6.7	6.5	2.3	2.7	0.8	0.2	0.9	27.7
Involving children as a proportion of all divorces	%	1997	51.3	53.4	55.7	56.5	53.8	62.9	56.0	56.7	54.0
Children affected	000	1997	13.7	12.5	12.4	4.3	5.0	1.6	0.5	1.7	51.7
Children affected (per 1,000 children aged 0-17)	no.	1997	8.7	11.0	14.0	12.2	10.5	12.8	7.8	20.6	11.0
(a) Estimates for Indigenous persons are high series projections - see Experimental Projections of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population, 30 June 1996 to 30 June 2006 (cat. no. 3231.0) for further explanation.
(b) Includes confinements of mothers aged under 15 years in some States and Territories, particularly the NT.
(c) Estimates for the NT exclude remote and sparsely settled areas. As a result, numbers for the States and Territories do not add to the Australian total which is weighted independently to the total population.
(d) Estimates for the NT exclude remote and sparsely settled areas.

	Units	Reference period	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT	Aust.
ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
Couple families with dependants aged 0-17(a)
Mean gross weekly income	$	1996-97	1049.8	943.1	940.4	945.6	1042.6	867.5	1162.4	1247.6	992.9
Median gross weekly income	$	1996-97	896.6	860.0	859.9	837.2	946.8	812.5	*1047.5	1155.2	877.9
Government support as principal source of income	%	1996-97	11.9	11.6	13.4	*12.2	*7.0	*12.8	**7.0	**5.7	11.5
Couple families with dependants aged 0-24
Both parents employed	%	Jun 1998	56.6	58.3	58.9	54.5	56.4	53.5	68.9	70.3	57.5
Both parents employed full-time	%	Jun 1998	24.5	24.2	23.5	18.9	20.6	19.3	40.7	31.8	23.6
Neither parent employed	%	Jun 1998	8.9	8.1	7.2	9.7	6.9	11.6	5.6	3.5	8.6
Mother employed full-time	%	Jun 1998	26.6	26.8	25.9	21.7	23.0	23.1	41.9	35.5	26.0
Mother employed part-time	%	Jun 1998	32.6	34.3	36.1	36.8	36.7	36.2	28.8	39.1	34.6
Mother not employed	%	Jun 1998	40.8	38.9	38.1	41.5	40.3	40.7	29.3	25.4	39.5
One-parent families with dependants aged 0-17(a)
Mean gross weekly income	$	1996-97	448.8	411.4	397.5	380.6	460.6	446.9	458.6	487.4	427.0
Median gross weekly income	$	1996-97	344.0	318.2	362.8	322.0	385.7	*415.3	*402.4	*373.8	346.6
Government support as principal source of income	%	1996-97	67.1	68.6	63.0	76.2	56.4	*50.8	**57.8	*51.2	65.6
One-parent families with dependants aged 0-24
Parent employed	%	Jun 1998	43.3	49.2	47.0	38.5	47.4	53.8	49.7	67.9	46.1
Parent employed full-time	%	Jun 1998	21.9	27.3	24.5	14.3	22.3	25.2	34.8	47.1	23.7
Families with children aged 0-17 with a natural parent living elsewhere(b)	'000	Apr 1997	203.0	123.9	118.9	48.8	64.9	18.3	5.9	12.0	597.5
Who received cash child support	%	Apr 1997	44.4	43.8	39.4	42.1	39.7	41.4	42.8	37.3	42.3
Who received in-kind child support only	%	Apr 1997	16.1	17.9	13.0	14.7	17.0	20.3	*26.0	24.5	16.3
Who did not receive child support	%	Apr 1997	38.7	37.9	47.6	43.1	42.4	38.3	*31.2	38.2	40.9
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Couple families with dependants aged 0-17
Owner without a mortgage	%	Aug 1996	31.6	33.3	27.2	29.1	26.9	31.2	12.8	23.7	30.2
Owner with a mortgage	%	Aug 1996	42.1	47.3	44.2	51.1	50.6	48.1	31.7	52.4	45.5
Renter	%	Aug 1996	23.0	16.2	25.3	17.3	19.5	17.9	44.6	22.3	21.0
Living in a separate house	%	Aug 1996	86.2	92.1	93.7	92.9	93.9	96.8	85.4	93.6	90.7
Living in a semidetached/row or terrace house/town house	%	Aug 1996	4.9	2.5	2.2	4.8	3.3	1.0	3.4	4.7	3.5
Living in a flat/unit/apartment	%	Aug 1996	6.5	3.4	1.8	1.2	0.9	0.9	3.6	1.1	3.6
One-parent families with dependants aged 0-17
Owner/purchaser of home	%	Aug 1996	37.5	45.9	35.5	39.1	41.5	40.1	22.4	40.7	39.4
Renter	%	Aug 1996	58.7	50.2	60.9	58.0	54.9	56.9	63.5	57.0	56.7
Living in a separate house	%	Aug 1996	70.9	80	79.5	73.6	80.7	87.6	72.1	78.3	76.5
Living in a semidetached/row or terrace house/town house	%	Aug 1996	11.7	6.4	8.9	19.8	13.2	5.1	7.4	15.2	10.6
Living in a flat/unit/apartment	%	Aug 1996	14.5	11.3	8.5	5.4	3.9	6.0	9.6	5.6	10.3
(a) Estimates for the NT exclude remote and sparsely settled areas.
(b) Estimates for the NT exclude remote and sparsely settled areas. As a result, numbers for the States and Territories do not add to the Australian total which is weighted independently to the total population.

	Units	Reference period	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT	Aust.
HEALTH
Infants with low birthweight (less than 2,500g)(a)	%	1995	5.8	6.5	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.4	8.8	5.8	6.4
1994 NHMRC schedule	%	1995	32.1	34.3	28.9	31.8	41.5	26.8	36.5	47.5	33.1
1991 NHMRC schedule	%	1995	53.9	51.2	47.5	49.7	59.3	43.0	53.5	63.5	52.1
Children who reported a long-term medical condition	%	1995	42.9	44.3	49.6	48.7	50.2	50.3	44.3	52.7	46.1
Children with asthma as a recent or long-term condition	%	1995	14.8	16.0	19.4	16.0	16.4	16.0	16.8	17.1	16.3
Children aged 0-17 with a disability	%	1993	6.5	6.6	7.2	7.8	8.3	6.8	*3.6	*7.3	6.9
Deaths
Infants aged under 1 year	no.	1997	451	300	272	87	131	39	45	16	1341
Rate per 1,000 live births	no.	1997	5.2	4.9	5.8	4.7	5.3	6.5	12.5	3.8	5.3
Children aged 1-17	no.	1997	359	248	216	82	119	36	33	13	1106
Rate per 100,000 children aged 1-17	no.	1997	24.1	23.1	25.6	24.2	26.5	30.2	60.3	17.0	24.9
Children aged 15-17 caused by accidents, poisoning & violence	no.	1997	76	48	48	15	32	n.p.	n.p.	3	227
Males (rate per 100,000 males aged 15-17)	no.	1997	40.5	38.4	53.2	36.5	59.6	n.p.	n.p.	41.9	43.6
Females (rate per 100,000 females aged 15-17)	no.	1997	17.5	11.9	9.7	13.8	21.0	n.p.	n.p.	-	14.0
EDUCATION
Preschool attendance	000	Aug 1996	94.1	59.2	48.0	17.2	28.3	4.3	2.8	4.4	258.4
Primary school attendance	000	Aug 1997	614.9	438.1	347.7	160.7	189.8	46.5	25.4	32.7	1855.8
Attending government schools	%	Aug 1997	73.7	69.6	76.8	73.9	76.4	76.7	80.2	67.4	73.7
Attending non-government schools	%	Aug 1997	26.3	30.4	23.2	26.1	23.6	23.3	19.8	32.6	26.3
Attending Catholic schools	%	Aug 1997	19.5	23.1	15.7	15.2	16.4	15.8	14.2	26.6	18.9
Secondary school attendance	000	Aug 1997	459.3	343.3	227.4	87.3	121.2	37.7	11.1	28.6	1315.8
Attending government schools	%	Aug 1997	67.4	62.3	65.1	66.1	66.8	72.3	71.6	61.5	65.6
Attending non-government schools	%	Aug 1997	32.6	37.7	34.9	33.9	33.2	27.7	28.4	38.5	34.4
Attending Catholic schools	%	Aug 1997	21.9	22.1	18.5	17.8	18.7	15.7	12.6	26.9	20.6
Year 12 apparent retention rates
Males	%	Aug 1997	62.0	69.3	72.9	61.3	65.3	54.1	36.7	92.5	66.2
Females	%	Aug 1997	72.8	83.8	83.2	72.9	78.1	63.4	47.8	90.7	77.8
(a) Source: Day et al. 1997.

	Units	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
POPULATION
Estimated Resident Population(a)
Total persons aged 0-17	000	4541.4	4557.4	4560.5	4563.1	4572.7	4585.7	4594.1	4612.9	4642.8	4676.8	4699.0
Males	000	2326.6	2335.7	2338.6	2341	2346.6	2352.8	2356.7	2366.0	2380.9	2397.7	2 409.2
Females	000	2214.8	2221.7	2221.9	2222.1	2226.1	2233.0	2237.4	2246.9	2261.9	2279.1	2289.8
Persons aged 0-4	000	1218.7	1229.6	1243.9	1258.2	1271.7	1284.7	1292.5	1298.0	1299.5	1297.0	1292.2
Persons aged 5-11	000	1680.7	1702.2	1727.2	1750.7	1770.0	1788.0	1793.4	1800.5	1812.3	1828.2	1837.0
Persons aged 12-14	000	787.9	767.3	753.8	746.1	743.8	743.6	751.6	761.5	776.3	786.1	791.1
Persons aged 15-17	000	854.0	858.4	835.6	808.1	787.2	769.4	756.5	752.8	754.7	765.5	778.6
Persons aged 0-17 as a proportion of total population	%	27.9	27.6	27.1	26.7	26.5	26.2	26.0	25.8	25.7	25.5	25.4
Indigenous persons aged 0-17(b)	000	121.5	123.2	124.8	126.8	159.3	162.7	166.2	169.9	173.9	177.8	187.5
Number of births	000	244.0	246.2	250.9	262.6	257.2	264.2	260.2	258.1	256.2	253.8	251.8
Teenage birth rate: mothers aged 15 -17 (confinements per 1,000 females aged 15-17)(c)	no.	10.3	10.3	10.7	11.0	10.9	10.6	10.4	10.5	10.6	10.6	9.8
Total fertility rate	no.	1.8	1.8	1.8	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.8	1.8	1.8	1.8
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
Families with dependants aged 0-24
Couple families	000	1887.0	1934.2	1930.5	1976.2	1965.6	1992.3	1990.5	1960.0	1982.5	1963.0	1 999.8
Lone mother families(d)	000	306.7	300.0	292.9	314.7	335.2	363.6	368.4	368.7	407.4	406.6	443.9
Lone father families(d)	000	41.6	42.6	37.4	46.4	48.3	48.5	47.8	54.9	56.5	60.6	65.0
One-parent families as a proportion of all families(d)	%	15.6	14.8	14.5	15.4	16.2	17.0	17.2	17.8	19.0	19.2	20.0
Children aged 0-11(e)
Attending formal child care only	%	9.1	n.a.	n.a.	9.3	n.a.	n.a.	11.0	n.a.	n.a.	12.0	n.a.
Attending informal child care only	%	31.7	n.a.	n.a.	33.9	n.a.	n.a.	29.4	n.a.	n.a.	28.3	n.a.
Attending both formal and informal child care	%	6.6	n.a.	n.a.	8.4	n.a.	n.a.	8.3	n.a.	n.a.	8.1	n.a.
Not attending child care	%	52.5	n.a.	n.a.	48.4	n.a.	n.a.	51.2	n.a.	n.a.	51.6	n.a.
Divorces
Involving children	000	23.3	23.6	22.9	23.7	24.7	24.2	25.5	25.3	n.a.	28.1	27.7
Involving children as a proportion of all divorces	%	58.6	57.5	55.3	55.6	54.2	53.0	52.6	52.4	n.a.	53.6	54.0
Children affected	000	44.1	44.4	43.3	44.9	46.7	45.8	48.1	47.5	n.a.	52.5	51.7
Children affected (per 1,000 children aged 0-17)	no.	9.7	9.7	9.5	9.8	10.2	10.0	10.5	10.3	n.a.	11.2	11.0
ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
Couple families with dependants aged 0-24
Both parents employed	%	50.2	50.9	53.8	55.9	53.4	53.3	52.5	52.8	57.7	55.7	56.3
Both parents employed full-time	%	20.3	20.3	21.8	23.4	22.0	20.9	21.9	21.5	23.8	22.8	23.1
Neither parent employed	%	8.1	7.9	7.2	6.8	8.4	9.9	10.8	9.9	8.5	8.5	8.8
Mother employed full-time	%	22.3	22.1	23.7	25.0	24.4	23.6	24.0	24.2	26.5	25.3	25.8
Mother employed part-time	%	30.1	30.9	32.3	32.8	32.4	33.0	31.5	32.2	34.3	33.6	33.7
Mother not employed	%	47.7	46.9	44.0	42.1	43.2	43.3	44.5	43.7	39.2	41.1	40.5
One-parent family with dependants(d)
Parent employed	%	42.1	43.9	50.2	49.0	47.0	45.7	45.3	45.9	46.9	46.8	46.5
Parent employed full-time	%	28.3	28.7	31.0	31.6	29.8	27.4	27.0	27.4	26.8	27.7	26.1
(a) Estimated resident population data for 1997 is preliminary.
(b) Estimates from 1987 to 1990 have been benchmarked to the 1991 Census. From 1991 to 1995, estimates have been benchmarked to the 1996 Census. Data for 1996 and 1997 are high series projections - see Experimental Projections of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population, 30 June 1996 to 30 June 2006 (cat. no. 3231.0) for further explanation.
(c) Includes confinements of mothers aged under 15 years in some States and Territories, particularly the NT.
(d) Prior to 1989 one-parent families include a small number of other non-couple families with dependent children.
(e) Estimates for the NT exclude remote and sparsely settled areas.

	Units	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
HEALTH
Deaths
Infants aged under 1 year	no.	2116	2132	2004	2145	1836	1843	1591	1512	1449	1460	1341
Rate per 1,000 live births	no.	8.7	8.7	8.0	8.2	7.1	7.0	6.1	5.9	5.7	5.8	5.3
Children aged 1-17	no.	1392	1472	1381	1295	1174	1180	1156	1137	1105	1112	1106
Rate per 100,000 children aged 1-17	no.	32.4	34.1	32.0	30.1	27.2	27.3	26.7	26.1	25.2	25.1	24.9
Children aged 15-17 caused by accidents, poisoning & violence	no.	331	365	332	280	267	244	213	232	189	217	227
Males (rate per 100,000 males aged 15-17)	no.	53.7	63.6	58.4	48.7	50.8	46.6	39.1	45.0	35.4	42	43.6
Females (rate per 100,000 females aged 15-17)	no.	23.2	20.5	20.1	19.8	16.2	16.0	16.6	15.8	14.2	13.9	14.0
EDUCATION
Primary school attendance	000	1687.4	1704.9	1734.6	1763.5	1786.4	1804.4	1816.1	1825.7	1833.7	1848.2	1855.8
Secondary school attendance	000	1295.3	1296.6	1277.0	1278.2	1288.7	1294.6	1282.3	1273.6	1275.7	1294.8	1315.8
Year 12 apparent retention rates
Males	%	49.4	53.4	55.5	58.3	66.1	72.5	71.9	69.6	66.7	65.9	66.2
Females	%	57.0	61.8	65.2	69.9	76.7	82.0	81.4	79.9	77.9	77.0	77.8
Children aged 15-17 attending school or tertiary institution	%	74.3	73.6	75.8	77.6	82.6	83.3	83.3	83.2	83.9	83.9	85.5