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 Tweed (A), accounting for 88.1% (85,814 people). This share was higher than Regional NSW (86.8%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 4,761 people, while its share fell by 0.6 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Tweed (A) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Tweed (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tweed (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
English
2021 count
85,814
% of total
88.1%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
85,814
88.1%
-0.6pp
Not stated
2021 count
6,715
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
6,715
6.9%
-0.2pp
Portuguese
2021 count
470
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
470
0.5%
+0.3pp
Spanish
2021 count
333
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
333
0.3%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
314
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
314
0.3%
0.0pp
Punjabi
2021 count
311
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
311
0.3%
0.0pp
Japanese
2021 count
308
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
308
0.3%
0.0pp
French
2021 count
255
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
255
0.3%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
230
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
230
0.2%
0.0pp
Thai
2021 count
210
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
210
0.2%
0.0pp
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+4,761
-0.6pp
Not stated
+245
-0.2pp
Portuguese
+308
+0.3pp
Spanish
+114
+0.1pp
German
-2
0.0pp
Punjabi
+66
0.0pp
Japanese
+32
0.0pp
French
+35
+0.1pp
Italian
+4
0.0pp
Thai
+70
0.0pp
Data table
Language used at home for Tweed (A). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| English | 85,814 | 88.1% | 86.8% | 81,053 | 88.7% | 87.1% | +4,761 | -0.6pp |
| Not stated | 6,715 | 6.9% | 6.6% | 6,470 | 7.1% | 7.1% | +245 | -0.2pp |
| Portuguese | 470 | 0.5% | 0.1% | 162 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +308 | +0.3pp |
| Spanish | 333 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 219 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +114 | +0.1pp |
| German | 314 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 316 | 0.3% | 0.3% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| Punjabi | 311 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 245 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +66 | 0.0pp |
| Japanese | 308 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 276 | 0.3% | 0.1% | +32 | 0.0pp |
| French | 255 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 220 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +35 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 230 | 0.2% | 0.4% | 226 | 0.2% | 0.5% | +4 | 0.0pp |
| Thai | 210 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 140 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +70 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 97,370 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 91,364 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,006 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.