SourceTargetCommunity Atlas
Local Government Area · Queensland

Brisbane

1,223,739 residents · 186+ languages recorded at suburb level.

CALD share
27.3%
333,476 people
Growth since last census
+22.2%
vs previous census
In context
1.48× Queensland avg
1.01× national avg
Population
1,223,739
CALD residents
333,476
Languages spoken
186
Fastest-growing
+92%
Narrative

Why this matters

Brisbane is home to 1,223,739 residents. 27.3% of them speak a language other than English at home. That's 333,476 people whose daily linguistic reality shapes how services, communications and campaigns actually reach them.

This briefing pulls the full ABS Census 2021 picture for Brisbane into a single shareable document: the languages spoken at home, the communities growing fastest, and the suburb-level variation that a council-wide average hides.

Languages

The twelve most-spoken

Bars show share of LGA residents · growth since last census

  1. 01
    Mandarin55,050 · 4.5%
    ▲18.3%
  2. 02
    Vietnamese21,521 · 1.8%
    ▲17.9%
  3. 03
    Cantonese18,320 · 1.5%
    ▲9.9%
  4. 04
    Spanish13,792 · 1.1%
    ▲35.0%
  5. 05
    Punjabi12,591 · 1.0%
    ▲28.9%
  6. 06
    Korean11,477 · 0.9%
    ▲5.5%
  1. 01
    Hindi10,704 · 0.9%
    ▲10.7%
  2. 02
    Arabic6,923 · 0.6%
    ▲11.3%
  3. 03
    Italian6,674 · 0.5%
    ▼5.5%
  4. 04
    Gujarati5,642 · 0.5%
    ▲51.2%
  5. 05
    Nepali5,572 · 0.5%
    ▲91.8%
  6. 06
    Tagalog5,472 · 0.4%
    ▲15.5%
Composition

Everyone at home

ENGLISH · 73%
MAN
OTHER
ENGLISH ONLY 72.7%  ·  OTHER LANGUAGES 27.3%
Mandarin
55,050 · +18.3%
Vietnamese
21,521 · +17.9%
Cantonese
18,320 · +9.9%
Spanish
13,792 · +35.0%
Punjabi
12,591 · +28.9%
Korean
11,477 · +5.5%
Hindi
10,704 · +10.7%
Arabic
6,923 · +11.3%
Italian
6,674 · -5.5%
Gujarati
5,642 · +51.2%
Nepali
5,572 · +91.8%
Tagalog
5,472 · +15.5%
Japanese
5,467 · +12.0%
Greek
5,413 · -6.4%
Malayalam
5,068 · +47.7%
SIZE = SPEAKERS  ·  TINT = GROWTH SINCE LAST CENSUS
  1. 01
    Mandarin55,050 · 4.5%
    ▲18.3%
  2. 02
    Vietnamese21,521 · 1.8%
    ▲17.9%
  3. 03
    Cantonese18,320 · 1.5%
    ▲9.9%
  4. 04
    Spanish13,792 · 1.1%
    ▲35.0%
  5. 05
    Punjabi12,591 · 1.0%
    ▲28.9%
  6. 06
    Korean11,477 · 0.9%
    ▲5.5%
  7. 07
    Hindi10,704 · 0.9%
    ▲10.7%
  8. 08
    Arabic6,923 · 0.6%
    ▲11.3%
  9. 09
    Italian6,674 · 0.5%
    ▼5.5%
  10. 10
    Gujarati5,642 · 0.5%
    ▲51.2%
  11. 11
    Nepali5,572 · 0.5%
    ▲91.8%
  12. 12
    Tagalog5,472 · 0.4%
    ▲15.5%
Momentum

Fastest-growing languages

Top movers since the last census

#1
Language
Nepali
+91.8%
5,572 speakers · 0.5% of LGA
#2
Language
Gujarati
+51.2%
5,642 speakers · 0.5% of LGA
#3
Language
Malayalam
+47.7%
5,068 speakers · 0.4% of LGA
Sub-regions

Suburb-level data

Click a suburb to drill down to SAL-level figures

Larapinta (Qld)
3 RESIDENTS
100.0% CALD
Wacol
4,221 RESIDENTS
84.8% CALDTop: Vietnamese
Karawatha
338 RESIDENTS
78.7% CALDTop: Mandarin
Robertson (Qld)
4,787 RESIDENTS
66.5% CALDTop: Mandarin
Stretton
4,618 RESIDENTS
64.9% CALDTop: Mandarin
Rochedale
7,519 RESIDENTS
64.6% CALDTop: Mandarin
Calamvale
17,595 RESIDENTS
62.5% CALDTop: Mandarin
Pallara
3,755 RESIDENTS
62.0% CALDTop: Punjabi
Inala
15,000 RESIDENTS
61.4% CALDTop: Vietnamese
Macgregor (Qld)
5,898 RESIDENTS
61.1% CALDTop: Mandarin
Sunnybank
8,900 RESIDENTS
61.0% CALDTop: Mandarin
Eight Mile Plains
14,982 RESIDENTS
59.7% CALDTop: Mandarin
Use this data

Commission a gap report for Brisbane.

We turn census data into targeted outreach plans: which documents to translate first, which community leaders to engage, where the gaps are.