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RDA Northern TerritoryCommunity profile

RDA Northern Territory

Language used at home

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In the RDA Northern Territory, 32.4% of people used a language other than English at home in 2021.

The RDA Northern Territory'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 Northern Territory'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 Northern Territory - Total persons (Usual residence)20212001Change
Language summaryNumber%West Daly Regional Council LGA %Number%West Daly Regional Council LGA %2001 to 2021
Speaks English only133,26257.311.9124,09666.86.4+9,166
Non-English total75,33632.484.445,03924.285.1+30,297
Not stated24,00710.33.716,6088.98.5+7,399
Total Population232,605100.0100.0185,743100.0100.0+46,862
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2001 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 Northern Territory - Total persons (Usual residence)20212001Change
Language (excludes English)Number%West Daly Regional Council LGA %Number%West Daly Regional Council LGA %2001 to 2021
Australian Indigenous Languages36,07715.583.331,08716.784.6+4,990
Filipino/Tagalog5,1472.2--1,1890.6--+3,958
Greek3,2581.4--2,8071.5--+451
Nepali3,0991.3--100.0--+3,089
Mandarin2,5261.10.14280.2--+2,098
Malayalam1,6010.7--260.0--+1,575
Vietnamese1,5650.7--7040.4--+861
Punjabi1,5630.7--560.0--+1,507
Indonesian1,2950.6--6860.4--+609
Thai1,0340.4--3920.2--+642
Show all (89 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 Northern Territory in 2021 compared to West Daly Regional Council LGA shows that there was a larger proportion of people who used English only, and a smaller proportion of those using a non-English language (either exclusively, or in addition to English).

Overall, 57.3% of the population used English only, and 32.4% used a non-English language, compared with 11.9% and 84.4% respectively for West Daly Regional Council LGA.

The dominant language used at home, other than English, in the RDA Northern Territory was Australian Indigenous Languages, with 15.5% of the population, or 36,077 people using this language at home.

The major differences between the languages used at home for the population of the RDA Northern Territory and West Daly Regional Council LGA in 2021 were:

  • A larger percentage using Filipino/Tagalog at home (2.2% compared to 0.0%)
  • A larger percentage using Greek at home (1.4% compared to 0.0%)
  • A larger percentage using Nepali at home (1.3% compared to 0.0%)
  • A smaller percentage using Australian Indigenous Languages at home (15.5% compared to 83.3%)

Emerging groups

Between 2001 and 2021, the number of people who used a language other than English at home increased by 30,297 or 67.3%, and the number of people who used English only increased by 9,166 or 7.4%.

The largest changes in the languages used by the population in the RDA Northern Territory between 2001 and 2021 were for those using:

  • Australian Indigenous Languages (+4,990 persons)
  • Filipino/Tagalog (+3,958 persons)
  • Nepali (+3,089 persons)
  • Mandarin (+2,098 persons)

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