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 No usual address (Vic.), accounting for 49.4% (4,485 people). This share was lower than Victoria (67.2%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 283 people, while its share fell by 6.3 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
No usual address (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language spoken at home for No usual address (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Victoria and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for No usual address (Vic.), with comparison markers for Victoria.
English
Not stated
Mandarin
Arabic
Spanish
Vietnamese
Italian
Turkish
Hindi
German
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+283
-6.3pp
Not stated
+1,650
+13.7pp
Mandarin
-108
-1.7pp
Arabic
-32
-0.6pp
Spanish
-10
-0.3pp
Vietnamese
-54
-0.8pp
Italian
-28
-0.4pp
Turkish
-4
-0.1pp
Hindi
+4
0.0pp
German
-7
-0.2pp
Data table
Language spoken at home for No usual address (Vic.). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Victoria.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Victoria% | Count | % | Victoria% | Count | pp | |
| English | 4,485 | 49.4% | 67.2% | 4,202 | 55.7% | 68.0% | +283 | -6.3pp |
| Not stated | 3,624 | 39.9% | 5.2% | 1,974 | 26.2% | 6.1% | +1,650 | +13.7pp |
| Mandarin | 108 | 1.2% | 3.4% | 216 | 2.9% | 3.2% | -108 | -1.7pp |
| Arabic | 66 | 0.7% | 1.4% | 98 | 1.3% | 1.3% | -32 | -0.6pp |
| Spanish | 48 | 0.5% | 0.7% | 58 | 0.8% | 0.6% | -10 | -0.3pp |
| Vietnamese | 42 | 0.5% | 1.8% | 96 | 1.3% | 1.7% | -54 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 41 | 0.5% | 1.4% | 69 | 0.9% | 1.9% | -28 | -0.4pp |
| Turkish | 35 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 39 | 0.5% | 0.5% | -4 | -0.1pp |
| Hindi | 35 | 0.4% | 1.0% | 31 | 0.4% | 0.9% | +4 | 0.0pp |
| German | 27 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 34 | 0.5% | 0.3% | -7 | -0.2pp |
| Total | 9,078 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,538 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,540 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.