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 Moreton Bay (R), accounting for 86.7% (412,761 people). This share was higher than Greater Brisbane (77.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 41,380 people, while its share fell by 0.6 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Moreton Bay (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Moreton Bay (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Brisbane and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Moreton Bay (R), with comparison markers for Greater Brisbane.
English
2021 count
412,761
% of total
86.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
412,761
86.7%
-0.6pp
Not stated
2021 count
22,883
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
22,883
4.8%
-1.0pp
Punjabi
2021 count
2,748
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,748
0.6%
+0.4pp
Mandarin
2021 count
2,534
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,534
0.5%
0.0pp
Samoan
2021 count
2,315
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,315
0.5%
0.0pp
Tagalog
2021 count
2,105
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,105
0.4%
0.0pp
Afrikaans
2021 count
2,087
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,087
0.4%
0.0pp
Hindi
2021 count
1,987
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,987
0.4%
+0.1pp
Spanish
2021 count
1,756
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,756
0.4%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
1,482
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,482
0.3%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+41,380
-0.6pp
Not stated
-1,751
-1.0pp
Punjabi
+1,996
+0.4pp
Mandarin
+615
0.0pp
Samoan
+275
0.0pp
Tagalog
+540
0.0pp
Afrikaans
+347
0.0pp
Hindi
+525
+0.1pp
Spanish
+479
+0.1pp
Filipino
+537
+0.1pp
Data table
Language used at home for Moreton Bay (R). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Brisbane.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Brisbane% | Count | % | Greater Brisbane% | Count | pp | |
| English | 412,761 | 86.7% | 77.3% | 371,381 | 87.3% | 78.0% | +41,380 | -0.6pp |
| Not stated | 22,883 | 4.8% | 5.0% | 24,634 | 5.8% | 5.9% | -1,751 | -1.0pp |
| Punjabi | 2,748 | 0.6% | 0.9% | 752 | 0.2% | 0.6% | +1,996 | +0.4pp |
| Mandarin | 2,534 | 0.5% | 2.5% | 1,919 | 0.5% | 2.4% | +615 | 0.0pp |
| Samoan | 2,315 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2,040 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +275 | 0.0pp |
| Tagalog | 2,105 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 1,565 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +540 | 0.0pp |
| Afrikaans | 2,087 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 1,740 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +347 | 0.0pp |
| Hindi | 1,987 | 0.4% | 0.7% | 1,462 | 0.3% | 0.6% | +525 | +0.1pp |
| Spanish | 1,756 | 0.4% | 0.8% | 1,277 | 0.3% | 0.7% | +479 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 1,482 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 945 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +537 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 476,262 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 425,237 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +51,025 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.