Cultural diversity
Language used at home
About this topic
Language used at home shows which languages people speak in their home life and whether English or another language is used most often. It is a key indicator of cultural diversity and language retention within communities.
This topic is useful for planning communication, multicultural services, and local engagement. It should be analysed together with proficiency in English and birthplace, because language alone does not show migration history or support needs.
Interpretation notes
- The Census records the language used most often at home, so it does not capture every language a person can speak.
- Language used at home is not a measure of English proficiency, literacy, or migration history on its own.
Key insight
In 2021, English was the most common language used at home among residents in Banana (S), accounting for 83% (12,028 people). This share was lower than Regional Qld (83.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which decreased by 441 people and 4.1 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Banana (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Banana (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Banana (S), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
English
2021 count
12,028
% of total
83.0%
Change from 2016
-4.1pp
12,028
83.0%
-4.1pp
Not stated
2021 count
1,834
% of total
12.7%
Change from 2016
+4.7pp
1,834
12.7%
+4.7pp
Mandarin
2021 count
122
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
122
0.8%
+0.5pp
Tagalog
2021 count
56
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
56
0.4%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
45
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
45
0.3%
0.0pp
Nepali
2021 count
31
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
-
31
0.2%
-
Spanish
2021 count
30
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
30
0.2%
+0.1pp
Afrikaans
2021 count
28
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
28
0.2%
0.0pp
Portuguese
2021 count
28
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
28
0.2%
-0.1pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
24
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
24
0.2%
-0.6pp
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-441
-4.1pp
Not stated
+693
+4.7pp
Mandarin
+76
+0.5pp
Tagalog
-2
0.0pp
Filipino
-2
0.0pp
Spanish
+21
+0.1pp
Afrikaans
+5
0.0pp
Portuguese
-20
-0.1pp
Vietnamese
-94
-0.6pp
Tamil
-23
-0.1pp
Data table
Language used at home for Banana (S). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| English | 12,028 | 83.0% | 83.7% | 12,469 | 87.1% | 84.3% | -441 | -4.1pp |
| Not stated | 1,834 | 12.7% | 7.4% | 1,141 | 8.0% | 7.8% | +693 | +4.7pp |
| Mandarin | 122 | 0.8% | 0.7% | 46 | 0.3% | 0.7% | +76 | +0.5pp |
| Tagalog | 56 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 58 | 0.4% | 0.3% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 45 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 47 | 0.3% | 0.2% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| Nepali | 31 | 0.2% | 0.2% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Spanish | 30 | 0.2% | 0.4% | 9 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +21 | +0.1pp |
| Afrikaans | 28 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 23 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +5 | 0.0pp |
| Portuguese | 28 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 48 | 0.3% | 0.2% | -20 | -0.1pp |
| Vietnamese | 24 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 118 | 0.8% | 0.1% | -94 | -0.6pp |
| Total | 14,493 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 14,320 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +173 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.