$21.8bn
$X.Xbn
203k
11,471
$XX.Xbn
Australia's Child Care Services industry currently operates under a market-based subsidy model, although recent years have witnessed a growing number of calls for the funding model to be reviewed. Approximately 1.4 million children aged 12 and under attend some form of government-approved or government-funded childcare service in 2024-25, a sizeable and growing portion of which is provided by for-profit childcare.
Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 6.2 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $21.8bn in 2024.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2025 | Revenue ($m)
2025 |
---|---|---|
Goodstart Early Learning | 1,540.0 | |
G8 Education | 1,080.0 | |
Affinity Education | 625.0 |
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Long day care, Family day care and Outside school hours care. Long day care is the largest segment of the Child Care Services in Australia.
Numerous long day care centres have opened, expanding the market
Industry organisations provide childcare services, mostly to children under 12 years of age. These services include long day care, family day care, occasional care, outside school hours care and vacation care. Long day care centres that provide early childhood education services as part of the Federal Government’s preschool program are included in the industry, but separate preschools are excluded.
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ANZSIC 8710 - Child Care Services in Australia
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
The Child Care Services industry has faced a series of challenges in recent years. Staffing shortages are among the biggest challenges facing the industry, with many childcar...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Childcare services’ two main product segments, long day care and outside school hours care, cater to two distinct age cohorts. These are the zero-to-four and five-to-twelve a...
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
The industry’s two major players have significant geographic footprints. However, most childcare providers operate on a regional, state or city basis.
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Competition is low, as childcare centres are localised and their facilities tend to cater for children living nearby. Nearly 80.0% of childcare providers operate only one chi...
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Corporate interest in the childcare sector has grown over the past decade, with the entry of new for-profit ASX-listed players and private equity capital. This has contribute...
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Government funding for child care has become increasingly important for revenue growth over the past decade. The government has budgeted $14.5 billion in childcare subsidies ...
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
The many small-scale businesses and the industry’s overall fragmentation influences childcare services’ profitability. The ownership split between not-for-profit organisation...
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in Australia include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
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The market size of the Child Care Services industry in Australia is $21.8bn in 2024.
There are 11,471 businesses in the Child Care Services industry in Australia, which has grown at a CAGR of 0.8 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Child Care Services industry in Australia has been growing at a CAGR of 6.2 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Child Care Services industry in Australia is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Child Care Services market in Australia are Goodstart Early Learning, G8 Education and Affinity Education
Long day care and Outside school hours care are part of the Child Care Services industry.
The company holding the most market share in Australia is Goodstart Early Learning.
The level of competition is low and increasing in the Child Care Services industry in Australia.