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, English was the most common language used at home among residents in Forest Lake, accounting for 64.9% (14,690 people). This share was lower than Brisbane (C) (71.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which decreased by 932 people and 3.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Forest Lake - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language spoken at home for Forest Lake in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brisbane (C) and change since 2016.
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Forest Lake, with comparison markers for Brisbane (C).
English
Vietnamese
Not stated
Mandarin
Samoan
Sinhalese
Hindi
Punjabi
Spanish
Gujarati
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-932
-3.4pp
Vietnamese
+448
+2.0pp
Not stated
-333
-1.4pp
Mandarin
+48
+0.3pp
Samoan
+94
+0.4pp
Sinhalese
0
0.0pp
Hindi
+18
+0.1pp
Punjabi
+133
+0.6pp
Spanish
-7
0.0pp
Gujarati
+20
+0.1pp
Data table
Language spoken at home for Forest Lake. Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Brisbane (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Brisbane (C)% | Count | % | Brisbane (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 14,690 | 64.9% | 71.6% | 15,622 | 68.3% | 71.8% | -932 | -3.4pp |
| Vietnamese | 1,857 | 8.2% | 1.7% | 1,409 | 6.2% | 1.6% | +448 | +2.0pp |
| Not stated | 696 | 3.1% | 4.4% | 1,029 | 4.5% | 5.8% | -333 | -1.4pp |
| Mandarin | 555 | 2.5% | 4.4% | 507 | 2.2% | 4.1% | +48 | +0.3pp |
| Samoan | 500 | 2.2% | 0.3% | 406 | 1.8% | 0.3% | +94 | +0.4pp |
| Sinhalese | 347 | 1.5% | 0.4% | 347 | 1.5% | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Hindi | 314 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 296 | 1.3% | 0.9% | +18 | +0.1pp |
| Punjabi | 308 | 1.4% | 1.0% | 175 | 0.8% | 0.9% | +133 | +0.6pp |
| Spanish | 223 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 230 | 1.0% | 0.9% | -7 | 0.0pp |
| Gujarati | 212 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 192 | 0.8% | 0.3% | +20 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 22,620 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 22,889 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -269 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.