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 Swan (C), accounting for 71.5% (109,433 people). This share was lower than Greater Perth (74%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 12,363 people, while its share fell by 1 percentage point.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Swan (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Swan (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Swan (C), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
109,433
% of total
71.5%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
109,433
71.5%
-1.0pp
Not stated
2021 count
7,985
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
7,985
5.2%
-1.6pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
3,078
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
3,078
2.0%
-0.2pp
Punjabi
2021 count
3,058
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
3,058
2.0%
+1.0pp
Tagalog
2021 count
2,081
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,081
1.4%
+0.4pp
Arabic
2021 count
1,899
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,899
1.2%
+0.1pp
Gujarati
2021 count
1,393
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,393
0.9%
+0.3pp
Mandarin
2021 count
1,371
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,371
0.9%
-0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
1,335
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,335
0.9%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
1,126
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,126
0.7%
-0.3pp
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+12,363
-1.0pp
Not stated
-1,059
-1.6pp
Vietnamese
+173
-0.2pp
Punjabi
+1,770
+1.0pp
Tagalog
+706
+0.4pp
Arabic
+396
+0.1pp
Gujarati
+584
+0.3pp
Mandarin
+58
-0.1pp
Filipino
+488
+0.3pp
Italian
-271
-0.3pp
Data table
Language used at home for Swan (C). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Perth.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | pp | |
| English | 109,433 | 71.5% | 74.0% | 97,070 | 72.5% | 73.5% | +12,363 | -1.0pp |
| Not stated | 7,985 | 5.2% | 5.1% | 9,044 | 6.8% | 6.4% | -1,059 | -1.6pp |
| Vietnamese | 3,078 | 2.0% | 1.0% | 2,905 | 2.2% | 1.0% | +173 | -0.2pp |
| Punjabi | 3,058 | 2.0% | 0.9% | 1,288 | 1.0% | 0.6% | +1,770 | +1.0pp |
| Tagalog | 2,081 | 1.4% | 0.7% | 1,375 | 1.0% | 0.6% | +706 | +0.4pp |
| Arabic | 1,899 | 1.2% | 0.7% | 1,503 | 1.1% | 0.7% | +396 | +0.1pp |
| Gujarati | 1,393 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 809 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +584 | +0.3pp |
| Mandarin | 1,371 | 0.9% | 2.3% | 1,313 | 1.0% | 2.3% | +58 | -0.1pp |
| Filipino | 1,335 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 847 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +488 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 1,126 | 0.7% | 1.1% | 1,397 | 1.0% | 1.4% | -271 | -0.3pp |
| Total | 152,992 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 133,817 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +19,175 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.