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 (WA), accounting for 50.7% (4,079 people). This share was lower than Western Australia (75.4%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 259 people, while its share fell by 13.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
No usual address (WA) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language spoken at home for No usual address (WA) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Western Australia and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for No usual address (WA), with comparison markers for Western Australia.
English
Not stated
French
Spanish
Italian
German
Mandarin
Afrikaans
Arabic
Vietnamese
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+259
-13.7pp
Not stated
+1,935
+17.2pp
French
+3
-0.2pp
Spanish
+18
+0.1pp
Italian
+4
-0.1pp
German
-12
-0.3pp
Mandarin
-56
-1.0pp
Afrikaans
+14
+0.1pp
Arabic
+16
+0.2pp
Vietnamese
+7
+0.1pp
Data table
Language spoken at home for No usual address (WA). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Western Australia.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Western Australia% | Count | % | Western Australia% | Count | pp | |
| English | 4,079 | 50.7% | 75.4% | 3,820 | 64.4% | 75.3% | +259 | -13.7pp |
| Not stated | 3,488 | 43.4% | 6.2% | 1,553 | 26.2% | 7.2% | +1,935 | +17.2pp |
| French | 50 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 47 | 0.8% | 0.4% | +3 | -0.2pp |
| Spanish | 44 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 26 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +18 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 35 | 0.4% | 1.0% | 31 | 0.5% | 1.2% | +4 | -0.1pp |
| German | 31 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 43 | 0.7% | 0.4% | -12 | -0.3pp |
| Mandarin | 29 | 0.4% | 2.0% | 85 | 1.4% | 1.9% | -56 | -1.0pp |
| Afrikaans | 23 | 0.3% | 0.6% | 9 | 0.2% | 0.6% | +14 | +0.1pp |
| Arabic | 21 | 0.3% | 0.6% | 5 | 0.1% | 0.6% | +16 | +0.2pp |
| Vietnamese | 15 | 0.2% | 0.9% | 8 | 0.1% | 0.8% | +7 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 8,040 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5,928 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,112 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.