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 Tarneit, accounting for 29.4% (16,557 people). This share was lower than Wyndham (C) (44%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 16,493 people, while its share fell by 70.6 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Tarneit - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Tarneit in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Wyndham (C) and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tarneit, with comparison markers for Wyndham (C).
English
2021 count
16,557
% of total
29.4%
Change from 2016
-70.6pp
16,557
29.4%
-70.6pp
Punjabi
2021 count
8,938
% of total
15.9%
Change from 2016
-
8,938
15.9%
-
Not stated
2021 count
3,607
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-
3,607
6.4%
-
Hindi
2021 count
3,573
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
-
3,573
6.3%
-
Urdu
2021 count
2,896
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-
2,896
5.1%
-
Gujarati
2021 count
2,584
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
-
2,584
4.6%
-
Telugu
2021 count
1,939
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-
1,939
3.4%
-
Arabic
2021 count
1,336
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-
1,336
2.4%
-
Bengali
2021 count
1,123
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-
1,123
2.0%
-
Tagalog
2021 count
1,047
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
1,047
1.9%
-
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+16,493
-70.6pp
Data table
Language used at home for Tarneit. Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Wyndham (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Wyndham (C)% | Count | % | Wyndham (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 16,557 | 29.4% | 44.0% | 64 | 100.0% | 53.1% | +16,493 | -70.6pp |
| Punjabi | 8,938 | 15.9% | 7.1% | - | - | 3.6% | - | - |
| Not stated | 3,607 | 6.4% | 6.2% | - | - | 5.8% | - | - |
| Hindi | 3,573 | 6.3% | 4.8% | - | - | 3.5% | - | - |
| Urdu | 2,896 | 5.1% | 2.9% | - | - | 1.7% | - | - |
| Gujarati | 2,584 | 4.6% | 2.4% | - | - | 1.5% | - | - |
| Telugu | 1,939 | 3.4% | 2.5% | - | - | 1.3% | - | - |
| Arabic | 1,336 | 2.4% | 1.9% | - | - | 1.9% | - | - |
| Bengali | 1,123 | 2.0% | 1.3% | - | - | 1.1% | - | - |
| Tagalog | 1,047 | 1.9% | 1.3% | - | - | 1.3% | - | - |
| Total | 56,325 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 64 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +56,261 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.