idc-logo
svg rectangle color
City of VincentCommunity profile

Perth

Language used at home

In Perth, 29.7% of people used a language other than English at home in 2021.

Perth'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.

Perth'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
Perth - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Language summaryNumber%Inner Perth %Number%Inner Perth %2016 to 2021
Speaks English only3,50961.469.72,94257.465.7+567
Non-English total1,69929.723.91,49029.125.3+208
Not stated5048.86.468913.59.0-186
Total Population5,712100.0100.05,122100.0100.0+589
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
Perth - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Language (excludes English)Number%Inner Perth %Number%Inner Perth %2016 to 2021
Mandarin3576.34.12935.74.2+63
Vietnamese1913.31.01442.80.9+47
Spanish1232.21.2731.40.9+50
Cantonese1051.81.41122.21.6-7
Italian1031.81.51312.61.9-28
Korean691.20.7681.31.00
French581.00.7551.10.9+3
Portuguese520.90.5400.80.6+12
Japanese510.90.7410.80.7+9
Thai470.80.4420.80.4+5
Show all (22 entries)

Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the language used at home by the population of Perth in 2021 compared to Inner Perth shows that there was a smaller 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, 61.4% of the population used English only, and 29.7% used a non-English language, compared with 69.7% and 23.9% respectively for Inner Perth.

The dominant language used at home, other than English, in Perth was Mandarin, with 6.3% of the population, or 357 people using this language at home.

The major differences between the languages used at home for the population of Perth and Inner Perth in 2021 were:

  • A larger percentage using Vietnamese at home (3.3% compared to 1.0%)
  • A larger percentage using Mandarin at home (6.3% compared to 4.1%)

Emerging groups

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of people who used a language other than English at home increased by 209 or 14.0%, and the number of people who used English only increased by 567 or 19.3%.

The largest changes in the languages used by the population in Perth between 2016 and 2021 were for those using:

  • Mandarin (+63 persons)
  • Spanish (+50 persons)

DISCLAIMER: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.

Please view our Privacy Policy, Terms of use and Legal notices. Stats NZ Data and the copyright in the Stats NZ Data remains the property of the Statistics New Zealand.

The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the Stats NZ Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. Stats NZ Data can be accessed on the Statistics New Zealand website at www.stats.govt.nz. Unless otherwise specified, content that Stats NZ produce is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. For further information see https://www.stats.govt.nz/about-us/copyright/.