Family Facts and Figures: Child care utilisation
Statistical information provided in charts and data tables on child care utilisation in Australia
- Children aged 0-4 years: Proportion using formal or informal care, 1987-2005
- Children aged 5-11 years: Proportion using formal or informal care, 1987-2005
- Children aged 0-12 years: Proportion using formal or informal care by family type, 2005
- Children aged 0-11 years: Proportion using formal or informal care by family type, 2002
- Children aged 0-11 years who used formal care only: Weekly hours of care, 1987-2005
- Children aged 0-11 years who used informal care only: Weekly hours of care, 1987-2005
- Children aged 0-11 years who used formal or informal care: Weekly hours of care, 1987-2005
Definitions
Children aged 0-4 years: Proportion used formal or informal care, 1987-2005
| Formal only* | Informal only | Formal* and informal | Neither | Total number of children ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1987 | 16.5% | 31.2% | 12.1% | 40.2% | 1214.3 |
| November 1990 | 14.2% | 32.7% | 13.6% | 39.6% | 1251.1 |
| June 1993 | 19.0% | 26.4% | 14.9% | 39.6% | 1293.5 |
| March 1996 | 21.4% | 24.9% | 15.2% | 38.5% | 1292.4 |
| June 1999 | 22.6% | 17.3% | 17.3% | 42.8% | 1274.2 |
| June 2002 | 27.6% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 38.6% | 1242.2 |
| June 2005 | 21.5% | 24.7% | 13.7% | 40.1% | 1249.2 |
* In 2005, ABS excluded preschool from the definition of formal childcare.
Sources: ABS (various years), Childcare Australia, Catalogue no. 4402.0
Children aged 5-11 years: Proportion used formal or informal care, 1987-2005
| Formal only | Informal only | Formal and informal | Neither | Total number of children ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1987 | 3.8% | 32.0% | 2.6% | 61.6% | 1673.6 |
| November 1990 | 5.8% | 34.8% | 4.7% | 54.8% | 1752.6 |
| June 1993 | 5.2% | 31.6% | 3.6% | 59.6% | 1792.4 |
| March 1996 | 5.3% | 30.7% | 3.0% | 60.9% | 1810.5 |
| June 1999 | 8.0% | 29.1% | 4.1% | 58.8% | 1848.7 |
| June 2002 | 8.0% | 25.6% | 4.7% | 61.7% | 1858.8 |
| June 2005 | 8.4% | 24.9% | 4.3% | 62.4% | 2141.0 |
* In 2005, ABS excluded preschool from the definition of formal childcare. In 2005, children aged 12 years were included.
Sources: ABS (various years), Childcare Australia, Catalogue no. 4402.0
Children aged 0-12 years: Proportions using formal or informal care by family type, 2005
| Care type | Couple family (%) | One parent family (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Formal care only | 13.2% | 13.4% |
| Informal care only | 23.7% | 30.2% |
| Both formal and informal care | 6.9% | 11.9% |
| Neither | 56.2% | 44.4% |
| Total | 100.0% | 99.9% |
| Number of children ('000) | 2805.8 | 584.5 |
Note: preschool is excluded from the definition of formal care.
Source: ABS (2006), Child care Australia June 2005, Catalogue no. 4402.0
Children aged 0-11 years: Proportion using formal or informal care by family type, 2002
| Care type | Couple family (%) | One parent family (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Formal care only | 16.1 | 14.8 |
| Informal care only | 22.0 | 28.8 |
| Formal and informal care | 8.9 | 12.5 |
| Neither formal nor informal care | 53.0 | 44.0 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.1 |
| Number of children ('000) | 2506.1 | 593.9 |
Source: ABS (2003), Child Care Australia June 2002, Catalogue No. 4402.0
Children aged 0-11 years who used formal care only: Weekly hours, 1987-2005
| <5 hrs | 5-9 hrs | 10-19 hrs | 20-29 hrs | 30-39 hrs | 40+ hrs | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1987 | 22.9% | 32.6% | 30.2% | 5.5% | 4.4% | 4.5% | 100.1% |
| June 1993 | 18.3% | 22.5% | 32.3% | 11.6% | 7.2% | 8.0% | 99.9% |
| March 1996 | 18.5% | 23.2% | 33.4% | 8.8% | 8.6% | 7.5% | 100.0% |
| June 2002 | 17.4% | 25.0% | 34.8% | 12.0% | 6.1% | 4.8% | 100.1% |
| June 2005 | 20.5% | 25.0% | 30.0% | 11.4% | 6.1% | 7.0% | 100.0% |
Note: In 2005, ABS included children aged 12 years and excluded preschool from the definition of formal childcare.
Sources: ABS (various years), Childcare Australia, Catalogue no. 4402.0
Children aged 0-11 years who used informal care only: Weekly hours, 1987-2005
| <5 hrs | 5-9 hrs | 10-19 hrs | 20-29 hrs | 30-39 hrs | 40+ hrs | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1987 | 46.6% | 22.4% | 15.3% | 5.7% | 3.2% | 6.8% | 100.0% |
| June 1993 | 43.2% | 21.2% | 16.5% | 7.6% | 3.9% | 7.6% | 100.0% |
| March 1996 | 43.1% | 21.5% | 16.7% | 8.4% | 3.5% | 6.8% | 100.0% |
| June 2002 | 36.4% | 23.6% | 19.6% | 7.6% | 4.1% | 8.7% | 100.0% |
| June 2005 | 35.7% | 21.4% | 18.4% | 9.6% | 4.4% | 10.6% | 100.1% |
Note: In 2005, ABS included children aged 12 years.
Sources: ABS (various years), Childcare Australia, Catalogue no. 4402.0
Children aged 0-11 years who used formal or informal care: Weekly hours, 1987-2005
| <5 hrs | 5-9 hrs | 10-19 hrs | 20-29 hrs | 30-39 hrs | 40+ hrs | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1987 | 35.9% | 23.7% | 20.9% | 7.4% | 4.6% | 7.6% | 100.1% |
| June 1993 | 30.8% | 20.5% | 23.5% | 10.5% | 5.8% | 9.0% | 100.1% |
| March 1996 | 30.5% | 20.9% | 23.4% | 10.5% | 6.4% | 8.3% | 100.0% |
| June 2002 | 23.7% | 21.7% | 27.0% | 11.7% | 6.9% | 9.0% | 100.0% |
| June 2005 | 25.8% | 21.1% | 23.3% | 12.4% | 6.3% | 11.1% | 100.0% |
Note: In 2005, ABS included children aged 12 years and excluded preschool from the definition of formal childcare.
Sources: ABS (various years), Childcare Australia, Catalogue no. 4402.0