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RDA Darling Downs and South West RegionCommunity profile

RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

Language used at home

In the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region, 7.2% of people used a language other than English at home in 2021.

The RDA Darling Downs and South West Region'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 RDA Darling Downs and South West Region'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
RDA Darling Downs and South West Region - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Language summaryNumber%Western Downs Regional Council area %Number%Western Downs Regional Council area %2016 to 2021
Speaks English only238,71086.086.1230,12987.185.7+8,581
Non-English total19,8507.24.114,2735.43.5+5,577
Not stated18,9176.89.819,7217.510.8-804
Total Population277,477100.0100.0264,123100.0100.0+13,354
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 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
RDA Darling Downs and South West Region - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Language (excludes English)Number%Western Downs Regional Council area %Number%Western Downs Regional Council area %2016 to 2021
Filipino/Tagalog2,0180.71.21,5960.61.1+422
Kurdish1,9570.7--340.0--+1,923
Mandarin1,4590.50.11,1660.40.1+293
Arabic9150.30.09120.30.0+3
Punjabi8280.30.14760.20.2+352
Nepali8100.30.13290.1--+481
Afrikaans7760.30.37070.30.3+69
Malayalam5700.20.13350.10.1+235
Spanish5510.20.43720.10.1+179
Hindi4700.20.13600.10.1+110
Show all (76 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 RDA Darling Downs and South West Region in 2021 compared to Western Downs Regional Council area shows that there was a similar proportion of people who used English only, and a larger proportion of those using a non-English language (either exclusively, or in addition to English).

Overall, 86.0% of the population used English only, and 7.2% used a non-English language, compared with 86.1% and 4.1% respectively for Western Downs Regional Council area.

The dominant language used at home, other than English, in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region was Filipino/Tagalog, with 0.7% of the population, or 2,018 people using this language at home.

There were no major differences between RDA Darling Downs and South West Region and Western Downs Regional Council area in 2021.

Emerging groups

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of people who used a language other than English at home increased by 5,577 or 39.1%, and the number of people who used English only increased by 8,581 or 3.7%.

The largest changes in the languages used by the population in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region between 2016 and 2021 were for those using:

  • Kurdish (+1,923 persons)
  • Nepali (+481 persons)
  • Filipino/Tagalog (+422 persons)
  • Punjabi (+352 persons)

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