Cultural diversity
Language spoken at home
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.
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, Vietnamese was the most common language used at home among residents in Sunshine North, accounting for 39.1% (4,696 people). This share was higher than Brimbank (C) (18.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in Vietnamese, which increased by 424 people and 2.6 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Sunshine North - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language spoken at home for Sunshine North in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brimbank (C) and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sunshine North, with comparison markers for Brimbank (C).
Vietnamese
English
Not stated
Cantonese
Maltese
Italian
Mandarin
Arabic
Spanish
Tagalog
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Vietnamese
+424
+2.6pp
English
+230
+1.3pp
Not stated
+182
+1.4pp
Cantonese
-44
-0.5pp
Maltese
-122
-1.2pp
Italian
-72
-0.7pp
Mandarin
+33
+0.2pp
Arabic
-16
-0.1pp
Spanish
-28
-0.3pp
Tagalog
+40
+0.3pp
Data table
Language spoken at home for Sunshine North. Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Brimbank (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Brimbank (C)% | Count | % | Brimbank (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Vietnamese | 4,696 | 39.1% | 18.5% | 4,272 | 36.5% | 16.2% | +424 | +2.6pp |
| English | 2,857 | 23.8% | 36.3% | 2,627 | 22.5% | 35.7% | +230 | +1.3pp |
| Not stated | 803 | 6.7% | 6.4% | 621 | 5.3% | 5.9% | +182 | +1.4pp |
| Cantonese | 481 | 4.0% | 2.1% | 525 | 4.5% | 2.1% | -44 | -0.5pp |
| Maltese | 422 | 3.5% | 2.1% | 544 | 4.7% | 2.6% | -122 | -1.2pp |
| Italian | 229 | 1.9% | 2.0% | 301 | 2.6% | 2.5% | -72 | -0.7pp |
| Mandarin | 158 | 1.3% | 1.4% | 125 | 1.1% | 1.5% | +33 | +0.2pp |
| Arabic | 152 | 1.3% | 2.2% | 168 | 1.4% | 2.2% | -16 | -0.1pp |
| Spanish | 148 | 1.2% | 1.3% | 176 | 1.5% | 1.5% | -28 | -0.3pp |
| Tagalog | 128 | 1.1% | 1.5% | 88 | 0.8% | 1.6% | +40 | +0.3pp |
| Total | 11,995 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 11,698 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +297 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.