The 2025 Year 12 Physics Participation Report Card, released by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) and the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP), reveals a long-term decline in secondary school physics participation across Australia, and persistent gender gaps.
The ongoing decline in Year 12 physics participation highlights a critical challenge for Australia’s STEM talent pipeline and future workforce.
Key finding of the participation report include:
- The proportion of student studying physics at Year 12 level has dropped to 12.1%, the lowest level recorded.
- Male and female participation in physics have both declined. Over the period 2015 – 2023, male participation declined from 23.5% to 18.9%, while female participation declined from 7.0% to just 5.8%.
- No progress has been made in closing gender gaps. One quarter of Year 12 physics students are female, a ratio which has remained unchanged for many years.
These concerning trends mirror patterns observed in Year 12 advanced-level mathematics, which is of foundational importance for the physical sciences.
Physics underpins occupations as diverse as engineering, defence, finance, healthcare and advanced computing, and helps develop critical analytical and problem-solving skills. Declining participation in physics is expected to exacerbate skills shortages in areas essential for Australia’s economy.
“It is vital that we ensure students are equipped with the foundational physics knowledge required to meet the demands across the science, engineering, and technology sectors,” said Professor Nicole Bell from the Australian Institute of Physics.
The full report is available to read here.
About AMSI
The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) is a not-for-profit peak body for the mathematical sciences with a breadth of members including Australian universities, professional societies, government agencies and industry. We champion mathematics, statistics and data science for Australia’s advancement through advocacy, facilitation, and collaboration.
