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 Merrylands (part), accounting for 26.2% (8,503 people). This share was lower than Cumberland (A) (26.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in Nepali, which increased by 663 people and 2 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Merrylands (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language spoken at home for Merrylands (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cumberland (A) and change since 2016.
This area boundary has changed from 2016 to 2021. As a result, 2016 values are mapped onto 2021 suburb boundaries using ABS concordance.
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Merrylands (part), with comparison markers for Cumberland (A).
English
Arabic
Not stated
Mandarin
Hazaraghi
Nepali
Dari
Urdu
Turkish
Cantonese
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-179
-3.2pp
Arabic
+136
-1.6pp
Not stated
+1,628
+4.5pp
Mandarin
+347
+0.6pp
Hazaraghi
+443
+1.1pp
Nepali
+663
+2.0pp
Dari
-52
-0.4pp
Urdu
+269
+0.7pp
Turkish
+23
-0.1pp
Cantonese
+12
-0.2pp
Data table
Language spoken at home for Merrylands (part). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cumberland (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cumberland (A)% | Count | % | Cumberland (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 8,503 | 26.2% | 26.6% | 8,682 | 29.4% | 28.9% | -179 | -3.2pp |
| Arabic | 6,791 | 20.9% | 14.1% | 6,655 | 22.5% | 15.2% | +136 | -1.6pp |
| Not stated | 3,258 | 10.0% | 8.2% | 1,630 | 5.5% | 5.5% | +1,628 | +4.5pp |
| Mandarin | 1,877 | 5.8% | 6.7% | 1,530 | 5.2% | 6.3% | +347 | +0.6pp |
| Hazaraghi | 1,020 | 3.1% | 1.7% | 577 | 2.0% | 1.6% | +443 | +1.1pp |
| Nepali | 994 | 3.1% | 4.4% | 331 | 1.1% | 2.5% | +663 | +2.0pp |
| Dari | 931 | 2.9% | 1.5% | 983 | 3.3% | 1.7% | -52 | -0.4pp |
| Urdu | 841 | 2.6% | 2.6% | 572 | 1.9% | 2.2% | +269 | +0.7pp |
| Turkish | 829 | 2.6% | 2.9% | 806 | 2.7% | 3.1% | +23 | -0.1pp |
| Cantonese | 822 | 2.5% | 4.0% | 810 | 2.7% | 4.5% | +12 | -0.2pp |
| Total | 32,476 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 29,564 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,912 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.