SourceTargetCommunity Atlas
Local Government Area · Queensland

Gold Coast

616,632 residents · 141+ languages recorded at suburb level.

CALD share
18.6%
114,783 people
Growth since last census
+37.1%
vs previous census
In context
1.18× Queensland avg
0.68× national avg
Population
616,632
CALD residents
114,783
Languages spoken
141
Fastest-growing
+116%
Narrative

Why this matters

Gold Coast is home to 616,632 residents. 18.6% of them speak a language other than English at home. That's 114,783 people whose daily linguistic reality shapes how services, communications and campaigns actually reach them.

This briefing pulls the full ABS Census 2021 picture for Gold Coast 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
    Mandarin11,626 · 1.9%
    28.3%
  2. 02
    Japanese5,900 · 1.0%
    5.1%
  3. 03
    Portuguese4,982 · 0.8%
    115.9%
  4. 04
    Spanish4,771 · 0.8%
    59.9%
  5. 05
    Korean3,711 · 0.6%
    9.0%
  6. 06
    Cantonese3,118 · 0.5%
    9.8%
  1. 01
    Punjabi2,965 · 0.5%
    112.4%
  2. 02
    Italian2,055 · 0.3%
    1.4%
  3. 03
    French1,843 · 0.3%
    4.8%
  4. 04
    German1,792 · 0.3%
    12.6%
  5. 05
    Tagalog1,783 · 0.3%
    27.1%
  6. 06
    Arabic1,643 · 0.3%
    5.7%
Composition

Everyone at home

ENGLISH · 81%
OTHER
ENGLISH ONLY 81.4%  ·  OTHER LANGUAGES 18.6%
Mandarin
11,626 · +28.3%
Japanese
5,900 · +5.1%
Portuguese
4,982 · +115.9%
Spanish
4,771 · +59.9%
Korean
3,711 · +9.0%
Cantonese
3,118 · +9.8%
Punjabi
2,965 · +112.4%
Italian
2,055 · -1.4%
French
1,843 · -4.8%
German
1,792 · -12.6%
Tagalog
1,783 · +27.1%
Arabic
1,643 · +5.7%
Afrikaans
1,605 · +10.8%
Thai
1,595 · +30.5%
Russian
1,573 · +28.4%
SIZE = SPEAKERS  ·  TINT = GROWTH SINCE LAST CENSUS
  1. 01
    Mandarin11,626 · 1.9%
    28.3%
  2. 02
    Japanese5,900 · 1.0%
    5.1%
  3. 03
    Portuguese4,982 · 0.8%
    115.9%
  4. 04
    Spanish4,771 · 0.8%
    59.9%
  5. 05
    Korean3,711 · 0.6%
    9.0%
  6. 06
    Cantonese3,118 · 0.5%
    9.8%
  7. 07
    Punjabi2,965 · 0.5%
    112.4%
  8. 08
    Italian2,055 · 0.3%
    1.4%
  9. 09
    French1,843 · 0.3%
    4.8%
  10. 10
    German1,792 · 0.3%
    12.6%
  11. 11
    Tagalog1,783 · 0.3%
    27.1%
  12. 12
    Arabic1,643 · 0.3%
    5.7%
Momentum

Fastest-growing languages

Top movers since the last census

#1
Language
Portuguese
+115.9%
4,982 speakers · 0.8% of LGA
#2
Language
Punjabi
+112.4%
2,965 speakers · 0.5% of LGA
#3
Language
Spanish
+59.9%
4,771 speakers · 0.8% of LGA
Use this data

Commission a gap report for Gold Coast.

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