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City of Merri-bekCommunity profile

City of Merri-bek

Language used at home

In the City of Merri-bek, 34.5% of people used a language other than English at home in 2021.

The City of Merri-bek's language statistics show the proportion of the population who use a language at home other than English. They indicate how culturally diverse a population is and the degree to which different ethnic groups and nationalities are retaining their language.

The City of Merri-bek's language statistics should be analysed in conjunction with Country of Birth and Proficiency in English to assist in identifying specific cultural and ethnic groups in the area and the services required by the multicultural community.

Please note: Due to ABS rules regarding perturbation of data to protect the confidentiality of individuals, counts of individual language groups and totals derived from them may differ slightly from those published by the ABS.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'Does the person use a language other than English at home?'

Language used at home - Summary
City of Merri-bek - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
Language summaryNumber%Greater Melbourne %Number%Greater Melbourne %2006 to 2021
Speaks English only104,55561.061.174,13254.668.5+30,423
Non-English total59,12034.534.153,49039.425.9+5,630
Not stated7,6824.54.88,1376.05.6-455
Total Population171,357100.0100.0135,759100.0100.0+35,598
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2006 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Language used at home - Ranked by size
City of Merri-bek - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
Language (excludes English)Number%Greater Melbourne %Number%Greater Melbourne %2006 to 2021
Italian9,9745.81.716,14611.93.3-6,172
Arabic7,7674.51.88,0355.91.5-268
Greek6,7894.02.18,5196.33.1-1,730
Urdu3,8132.20.78690.60.1+2,944
Nepali3,7382.20.41940.10.0+3,544
Turkish3,0651.80.72,7952.10.8+270
Mandarin2,8571.74.32,0521.51.7+805
Spanish2,0031.20.88040.60.6+1,199
Vietnamese1,6040.92.31,1240.81.9+480
Hindi1,0720.61.36850.50.5+387
Show all (87 entries)

Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the language used at home by the population of the City of Merri-bek in 2021 compared to Greater Melbourne shows that there was a similar proportion of people who used English only, as well as a similar proportion of those using a non-English language (either exclusively, or in addition to English).

Overall, 61.0% of the population used English only, and 34.5% used a non-English language, compared with 61.1% and 34.1% respectively for Greater Melbourne.

The dominant language used at home, other than English, in the City of Merri-bek was Italian, with 5.8% of the population, or 9,974 people using this language at home.

The major differences between the languages used at home for the population of the City of Merri-bek and Greater Melbourne in 2021 were:

  • A larger percentage using Italian at home (5.8% compared to 1.7%)
  • A larger percentage using Arabic at home (4.5% compared to 1.8%)
  • A larger percentage using Greek at home (4.0% compared to 2.1%)
  • A smaller percentage using Mandarin at home (1.7% compared to 4.3%)

Emerging groups

Between 2006 and 2021, the number of people who used a language other than English at home increased by 5,630 or 10.5%, and the number of people who used English only increased by 30,423 or 41.0%.

The largest changes in the languages used by the population in the City of Merri-bek between 2006 and 2021 were for those using:

  • Italian (-6,172 persons)
  • Nepali (+3,544 persons)
  • Urdu (+2,944 persons)
  • Greek (-1,730 persons)

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