//Interesting Data
LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH BY STATE OR TERRITORY
| Distribution of speakers of leading five languages and Indigenous languages by State or Territory(a) |
||||||||||
|
NSW |
Vic. |
Qld |
SA |
WA |
Tas. |
NT |
ACT |
Australia |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
'000 |
Italian |
27.3 |
42.3 |
6.9 |
11.5 |
10.3 |
- |
- |
1.0 |
100.0 |
367.3 |
Greek |
34.4 |
46.2 |
4.3 |
10.4 |
2.2 |
- |
1.0 |
1.1 |
100.0 |
259.0 |
Cantonese(b) |
52.7 |
26.5 |
8.0 |
3.3 |
7.3 |
- |
- |
1.2 |
100.0 |
190.1 |
Arabic |
70.8 |
22.1 |
2.0 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
- |
- |
0.6 |
100.0 |
162.0 |
Vietnamese |
38.7 |
36.7 |
8.0 |
7.6 |
6.9 |
- |
- |
1.6 |
100.0 |
134.0 |
Indigenous languages/creoles |
2.3 |
0.7 |
14.5 |
4.6 |
18.9 |
- |
58.7 |
- |
100.0 |
44.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All languages other than English |
40.9 |
32.9 |
8.5 |
6.6 |
7.4 |
0.6 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
100.0 |
2,470.2 |
Source: Unpublished data, 1996 Census of Population and Housing
MAJOR CHANGES, LEADING LANGUAGES, 1991 TO 1996(a)
Languages with fewer speakers |
Languages with more speakers in 1996 than 1991 |
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|
Number of speakers |
Decrease since 1991 |
|
Number of speakers |
Increase since 1991 |
Language |
'000 |
% |
Language |
'000 |
% |
French |
38.0 |
16.9 |
Mandarin |
87.3 |
65.2 |
German |
96.6 |
16.1 |
Serbian |
35.4 |
52.3 |
Netherlandic |
40.2 |
15.4 |
Korean |
28.1 |
49.9 |
Maltese |
44.7 |
14.2 |
Hindi |
31.7 |
47.1 |
Hungarian |
25.8 |
11.1 |
Vietnamese |
134.0 |
31.3 |
(a) The languages showing the greatest decreases and increases since 1991, of the leading 25 languages in 1996,
spoken at home as the main language other than English by the population aged five years and over.
Source: Unpublished data, 1996 Census of Population and Housing
LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH SPOKEN AT HOME(a), AUSTRALIA , 1996
|
|
Language speakers |
|
|
|
||
|
Number of speakers |
Proportion born in Australia |
As a proportion of |
Language |
'000 |
% |
% |
Italian |
367.3 |
40.7 |
2.3 |
Greek |
259.0 |
46.7 |
1.6 |
Cantonese(b) |
190.1 |
12.9 |
1.2 |
Arabic |
162.0 |
37.8 |
1.0 |
Vietnamese |
134.0 |
12.6 |
0.8 |
German |
96.7 |
18.9 |
0.6 |
Mandarin(b) |
87.3 |
6.4 |
0.5 |
Spanish |
86.9 |
17.6 |
0.5 |
Macedonian |
68.1 |
34.9 |
0.4 |
Tagalog (Filipino) |
67.3 |
5.0 |
0.4 |
Croatian |
66.7 |
32.4 |
0.4 |
Polish |
61.0 |
16.2 |
0.4 |
Maltese |
44.7 |
27.9 |
0.3 |
Turkish |
42.2 |
31.3 |
0.3 |
Netherlandic |
40.2 |
12.4 |
0.3 |
All other |
696.8 |
20.0 |
4.4 |
|
|
|
|
Total |
2,470.2 |
26.0 |
15.5 |
Source: Unpublished data, 1996 Census of Population and Housing
5.70 PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH, People who spoke a language other than English at home - 2001 |
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|
|
|
Age group (years) |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Units |
0-24 |
25-44 |
45-64 |
65 and over |
Total |
|
Total population |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speaks English well or very well |
% |
88.1 |
87.2 |
77.1 |
59.9 |
81.6 |
|
Does not speak English well |
% |
8.4 |
11.5 |
20.1 |
29.5 |
14.9 |
|
Does not speak English at all |
% |
3.5 |
1.3 |
2.8 |
10.7 |
3.5 |
|
Total |
% |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Total(a) |
no. |
860,401 |
930,520 |
671,549 |
354,019 |
2,816,489 |
|
Australian-born population |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speaks English well or very well |
% |
86.7 |
97.4 |
92.9 |
81.3 |
90.5 |
|
Does not speak English well |
% |
8.6 |
2.3 |
6.1 |
14.2 |
6.5 |
|
Does not speak English at all |
% |
4.6 |
0.3 |
1.0 |
4.5 |
3.0 |
|
Total |
% |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Total(b) |
no. |
493,439 |
259,214 |
46,531 |
9,807 |
808,991 |
|
Source: ABS data available on request, 2001 Census of Population and Housing.