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 Warrnambool (part), accounting for 88.5% (27,713 people). This share was lower than Warrnambool (C) (89.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 1,540 people and 0.3 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Warrnambool (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Warrnambool (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Warrnambool (C) and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Warrnambool (part), with comparison markers for Warrnambool (C).
English
2021 count
27,713
% of total
88.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
27,713
88.5%
+0.3pp
Not stated
2021 count
1,793
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
1,793
5.7%
-1.5pp
Mandarin
2021 count
301
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
301
1.0%
-0.1pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
118
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
118
0.4%
+0.4pp
Sinhalese
2021 count
103
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
103
0.3%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
83
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
83
0.3%
+0.2pp
Thai
2021 count
73
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
73
0.2%
+0.1pp
Punjabi
2021 count
58
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
58
0.2%
+0.2pp
Afrikaans
2021 count
57
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
57
0.2%
+0.1pp
Tagalog
2021 count
56
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
56
0.2%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,540
+0.3pp
Not stated
-335
-1.5pp
Mandarin
-14
-0.1pp
Vietnamese
+104
+0.4pp
Sinhalese
+46
+0.1pp
Filipino
+51
+0.2pp
Thai
+33
+0.1pp
Punjabi
+45
+0.2pp
Afrikaans
+38
+0.1pp
Tagalog
+26
+0.1pp
Data table
Language used at home for Warrnambool (part). Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Warrnambool (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Warrnambool (C)% | Count | % | Warrnambool (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 27,713 | 88.5% | 89.1% | 26,173 | 88.2% | 88.5% | +1,540 | +0.3pp |
| Not stated | 1,793 | 5.7% | 5.6% | 2,128 | 7.2% | 7.1% | -335 | -1.5pp |
| Mandarin | 301 | 1.0% | 0.9% | 315 | 1.1% | 1.0% | -14 | -0.1pp |
| Vietnamese | 118 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 14 | 0.0% | 0.0% | +104 | +0.4pp |
| Sinhalese | 103 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 57 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +46 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 83 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 32 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +51 | +0.2pp |
| Thai | 73 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 40 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +33 | +0.1pp |
| Punjabi | 58 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 13 | 0.0% | 0.1% | +45 | +0.2pp |
| Afrikaans | 57 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 19 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +38 | +0.1pp |
| Tagalog | 56 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 30 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +26 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 31,299 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 29,676 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,623 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.