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 Canterbury-Bankstown (A), accounting for 33.8% (125,243 people). This share was lower than Greater Sydney (57.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 7,301 people, while its share fell by 0.3 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Canterbury-Bankstown (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Canterbury-Bankstown (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Canterbury-Bankstown (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
English
2021 count
125,243
% of total
33.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
125,243
33.8%
-0.3pp
Arabic
2021 count
63,655
% of total
17.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
63,655
17.2%
0.0pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
27,916
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
27,916
7.5%
+0.3pp
Not stated
2021 count
26,649
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
26,649
7.2%
+1.4pp
Mandarin
2021 count
19,049
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
19,049
5.1%
+0.1pp
Greek
2021 count
17,394
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
17,394
4.7%
-0.7pp
Cantonese
2021 count
13,588
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
13,588
3.7%
-0.2pp
Urdu
2021 count
9,289
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
9,289
2.5%
+0.6pp
Bengali
2021 count
9,223
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
9,223
2.5%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
4,939
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
4,939
1.3%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+7,301
-0.3pp
Arabic
+3,968
0.0pp
Vietnamese
+2,939
+0.3pp
Not stated
+6,614
+1.4pp
Mandarin
+1,847
+0.1pp
Greek
-1,185
-0.7pp
Cantonese
-45
-0.2pp
Urdu
+2,685
+0.6pp
Bengali
+593
0.0pp
Italian
-1,091
-0.4pp
Data table
Language used at home for Canterbury-Bankstown (A). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| English | 125,243 | 33.8% | 57.3% | 117,942 | 34.1% | 58.4% | +7,301 | -0.3pp |
| Arabic | 63,655 | 17.2% | 4.2% | 59,687 | 17.2% | 4.0% | +3,968 | 0.0pp |
| Vietnamese | 27,916 | 7.5% | 2.2% | 24,977 | 7.2% | 2.1% | +2,939 | +0.3pp |
| Not stated | 26,649 | 7.2% | 5.3% | 20,035 | 5.8% | 5.8% | +6,614 | +1.4pp |
| Mandarin | 19,049 | 5.1% | 5.0% | 17,202 | 5.0% | 4.7% | +1,847 | +0.1pp |
| Greek | 17,394 | 4.7% | 1.4% | 18,579 | 5.4% | 1.6% | -1,185 | -0.7pp |
| Cantonese | 13,588 | 3.7% | 2.8% | 13,633 | 3.9% | 2.9% | -45 | -0.2pp |
| Urdu | 9,289 | 2.5% | 0.8% | 6,604 | 1.9% | 0.6% | +2,685 | +0.6pp |
| Bengali | 9,223 | 2.5% | 0.7% | 8,630 | 2.5% | 0.6% | +593 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 4,939 | 1.3% | 1.0% | 6,030 | 1.7% | 1.3% | -1,091 | -0.4pp |
| Total | 370,958 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 346,211 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +24,747 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.