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North Metropolitan Region

Language used at home

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In North Metropolitan Region, 17.7% of people used a language other than English at home in 2021.

North Metropolitan 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.

North Metropolitan 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
North Metropolitan Region - Total persons (Usual residence)20212011Change
Language summaryNumber%Regional District %Number%Regional District %2011 to 2021
Speaks English only504,34377.982.0427,96679.785.2+76,376
Non-English total114,87017.78.380,68715.06.8+34,182
Not stated28,0004.39.828,2605.38.0-260
Total Population647,213100.0100.0536,915100.0100.0+110,298
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 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
North Metropolitan Region - Total persons (Usual residence)20212011Change
Language (excludes English)Number%Regional District %Number%Regional District %2011 to 2021
Mandarin11,9021.80.45,7841.10.2+6,118
Italian7,8641.20.49,0061.70.6-1,142
Vietnamese5,9180.90.24,1010.80.1+1,817
Afrikaans5,8510.90.64,1390.80.5+1,712
Gujarati5,1460.80.12,8730.50.0+2,273
Cantonese4,6060.70.14,2010.80.1+405
Spanish4,5410.70.22,7210.50.1+1,820
Arabic3,5150.50.12,5800.50.1+935
Filipino/Tagalog3,4130.50.91,9970.40.6+1,416
French3,1590.50.22,4600.50.1+698
Show all (98 entries)

Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the language used at home by the population of North Metropolitan Region in 2021 compared to the Regional District 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, 77.9% of the population used English only, and 17.7% used a non-English language, compared with 82.0% and 8.3% respectively for the Regional District.

The dominant language used at home, other than English, in North Metropolitan Region was Mandarin, with 1.8% of the population, or 11,902 people using this language at home.

The major differences between the languages used at home for the population of North Metropolitan Region and the Regional District in 2021 were:

  • A larger percentage using Mandarin at home (1.8% compared to 0.4%)
  • A smaller percentage using Australian Indigenous Languages at home (0.1% compared to 1.5%)

Emerging groups

Between 2011 and 2021, the number of people who used a language other than English at home increased by 34,183 or 42.4%, and the number of people who used English only increased by 76,377 or 17.8%.

The largest changes in the languages used by the population in North Metropolitan Region between 2011 and 2021 were for those using:

  • Mandarin (+6,118 persons)
  • Gujarati (+2,273 persons)
  • Spanish (+1,820 persons)
  • Vietnamese (+1,817 persons)

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