Cultural diversity
Language spoken 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 Cairns City, accounting for 45.8% (1,644 people). This share was lower than Cairns (R) (76.8%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 155 people, while its share fell by 9.3 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Cairns City - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language spoken at home for Cairns City in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cairns City, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
Not stated
Spanish
French
Korean
Mandarin
Italian
Japanese
Punjabi
German
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+155
-9.3pp
Not stated
+680
+12.6pp
Spanish
+54
+1.4pp
French
+18
+0.1pp
Korean
-42
-2.0pp
Mandarin
-16
-1.0pp
Italian
+4
-0.2pp
Japanese
-25
-1.2pp
Punjabi
-8
-0.5pp
German
+6
0.0pp
Data table
Language spoken at home for Cairns City. Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cairns (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,644 | 45.8% | 76.8% | 1,489 | 55.1% | 77.7% | +155 | -9.3pp |
| Not stated | 1,375 | 38.3% | 9.2% | 695 | 25.7% | 9.1% | +680 | +12.6pp |
| Spanish | 67 | 1.9% | 0.4% | 13 | 0.5% | 0.2% | +54 | +1.4pp |
| French | 52 | 1.4% | 0.3% | 34 | 1.3% | 0.3% | +18 | +0.1pp |
| Korean | 46 | 1.3% | 0.5% | 88 | 3.3% | 0.6% | -42 | -2.0pp |
| Mandarin | 43 | 1.2% | 0.7% | 59 | 2.2% | 0.7% | -16 | -1.0pp |
| Italian | 42 | 1.2% | 0.6% | 38 | 1.4% | 0.7% | +4 | -0.2pp |
| Japanese | 31 | 0.9% | 1.4% | 56 | 2.1% | 1.5% | -25 | -1.2pp |
| Punjabi | 27 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 35 | 1.3% | 0.5% | -8 | -0.5pp |
| German | 24 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 18 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 3,588 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,700 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +888 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.