idc-logo
svg rectangle color
Waverley Local Government Area (LGA)Community profile

Waverley Council area

Language used at home

In Waverley Council area, 20.9% of people used a language other than English at home in 2021.

Waverley Council area'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.

Waverley Council area'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
Waverley Council area - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Language summaryNumber%Greater Sydney %Number%Greater Sydney %2016 to 2021
Speaks English only50,16473.157.345,87368.758.4+4,291
Non-English total14,36420.937.413,98420.935.8+380
Not stated4,0775.95.36,96010.45.8-2,883
Total Population68,605100.0100.066,817100.0100.0+1,788
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
Waverley Council area - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Language (excludes English)Number%Greater Sydney %Number%Greater Sydney %2016 to 2021
Spanish1,9672.91.21,4162.11.2+551
Russian1,3351.90.41,4842.20.4-149
French1,2761.90.41,1791.80.4+97
Portuguese1,2521.80.51,2591.90.4-7
Italian1,0911.61.01,1031.71.3-12
Mandarin9411.45.07451.14.7+196
Hebrew9251.30.19071.40.1+18
Greek7361.11.46761.01.6+60
German5610.80.36361.00.3-75
Cantonese3770.52.83620.52.9+15
Show all (58 entries)

Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the language used at home by the population of Waverley Council area in 2021 compared to Greater Sydney 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, 73.1% of the population used English only, and 20.9% used a non-English language, compared with 57.3% and 37.4% respectively for Greater Sydney.

The dominant language used at home, other than English, in Waverley Council area was Spanish, with 2.9% of the population, or 1,967 people using this language at home.

The major differences between the languages used at home for the population of Waverley Council area and Greater Sydney in 2021 were:

  • A smaller percentage using Arabic at home (0.3% compared to 4.2%)
  • A smaller percentage using Mandarin at home (1.4% compared to 5.0%)
  • A smaller percentage using Cantonese at home (0.5% compared to 2.8%)
  • A smaller percentage using Vietnamese at home (0.2% compared to 2.2%)

Emerging groups

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of people who used a language other than English at home increased by 380 or 2.7%, and the number of people who used English only increased by 4,291 or 9.4%.

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

  • Spanish (+551 persons)
  • Mandarin (+196 persons)
  • Hungarian (-161 persons)
  • Russian (-149 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.

ABS Data and the copyright in the ABS Data remains the property of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the ABS Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. ABS Data can be accessed from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at www.abs.gov.au. ABS data can be used under license - terms published on ABS website. intermediary.management@abs.gov.au if you have any queries or wish to distribute any ABS data.