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 Toowoomba (R), accounting for 85.6% (148,153 people). This share was higher than Regional Qld (83.7%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 8,616 people, while its share fell by 1.2 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Toowoomba (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Toowoomba (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Toowoomba (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
English
2021 count
148,153
% of total
85.6%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
148,153
85.6%
-1.2pp
Not stated
2021 count
9,465
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
9,465
5.5%
-1.2pp
Kurdish
2021 count
1,957
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
1,957
1.1%
+1.1pp
Mandarin
2021 count
1,195
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,195
0.7%
+0.1pp
Arabic
2021 count
883
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
883
0.5%
-0.1pp
Nepali
2021 count
760
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
760
0.4%
+0.2pp
Punjabi
2021 count
702
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
702
0.4%
+0.2pp
Tagalog
2021 count
632
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
632
0.4%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
579
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
579
0.3%
0.0pp
Afrikaans
2021 count
524
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
524
0.3%
0.0pp
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+8,616
-1.2pp
Not stated
-1,309
-1.2pp
Kurdish
+1,921
+1.1pp
Mandarin
+263
+0.1pp
Arabic
-3
-0.1pp
Nepali
+465
+0.2pp
Punjabi
+392
+0.2pp
Tagalog
+146
+0.1pp
Filipino
+169
0.0pp
Afrikaans
+79
0.0pp
Data table
Language used at home for Toowoomba (R). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| English | 148,153 | 85.6% | 83.7% | 139,537 | 86.8% | 84.3% | +8,616 | -1.2pp |
| Not stated | 9,465 | 5.5% | 7.4% | 10,774 | 6.7% | 7.8% | -1,309 | -1.2pp |
| Kurdish | 1,957 | 1.1% | 0.1% | 36 | 0.0% | 0.0% | +1,921 | +1.1pp |
| Mandarin | 1,195 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 932 | 0.6% | 0.7% | +263 | +0.1pp |
| Arabic | 883 | 0.5% | 0.2% | 886 | 0.6% | 0.2% | -3 | -0.1pp |
| Nepali | 760 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 295 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +465 | +0.2pp |
| Punjabi | 702 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 310 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +392 | +0.2pp |
| Tagalog | 632 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 486 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +146 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 579 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 410 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +169 | 0.0pp |
| Afrikaans | 524 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 445 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +79 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 173,163 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 160,754 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +12,409 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.