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 Bordertown, accounting for 77.9% (2,414 people). This share was lower than Tatiara (DC) (84%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 108 people, while its share fell by 0.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Bordertown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Bordertown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Tatiara (DC) and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bordertown, with comparison markers for Tatiara (DC).
English
2021 count
2,414
% of total
77.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
2,414
77.9%
-0.4pp
Not stated
2021 count
169
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-4.0pp
169
5.5%
-4.0pp
Hazaraghi
2021 count
77
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
77
2.5%
+0.2pp
Malay
2021 count
77
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
-
77
2.5%
-
Filipino
2021 count
62
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
62
2.0%
+0.5pp
Mandarin
2021 count
46
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
46
1.5%
+0.6pp
Urdu
2021 count
32
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
32
1.0%
+0.8pp
Tamil
2021 count
28
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
28
0.9%
+0.3pp
Tagalog
2021 count
21
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
21
0.7%
-0.6pp
Swahili
2021 count
13
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
13
0.4%
-
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+108
-0.4pp
Not stated
-111
-4.0pp
Hazaraghi
+9
+0.2pp
Filipino
+19
+0.5pp
Mandarin
+19
+0.6pp
Urdu
+26
+0.8pp
Tamil
+9
+0.3pp
Tagalog
-16
-0.6pp
Vietnamese
+5
+0.1pp
Amharic
+4
+0.1pp
Data table
Language used at home for Bordertown. Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Tatiara (DC).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Tatiara (DC)% | Count | % | Tatiara (DC)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,414 | 77.9% | 84.0% | 2,306 | 78.3% | 85.7% | +108 | -0.4pp |
| Not stated | 169 | 5.5% | 7.5% | 280 | 9.5% | 8.3% | -111 | -4.0pp |
| Hazaraghi | 77 | 2.5% | 1.1% | 68 | 2.3% | 1.0% | +9 | +0.2pp |
| Malay | 77 | 2.5% | 1.2% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Filipino | 62 | 2.0% | 0.9% | 43 | 1.5% | 0.6% | +19 | +0.5pp |
| Mandarin | 46 | 1.5% | 0.8% | 27 | 0.9% | 0.4% | +19 | +0.6pp |
| Urdu | 32 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 6 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +26 | +0.8pp |
| Tamil | 28 | 0.9% | 0.4% | 19 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +9 | +0.3pp |
| Tagalog | 21 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 37 | 1.3% | 0.5% | -16 | -0.6pp |
| Swahili | 13 | 0.4% | 0.2% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 3,100 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,944 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +156 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.