SourceTargetCommunity Atlas
Local Government Area · New South Wales

Inner West

179,423 residents · 117+ languages recorded at suburb level.

CALD share
28.9%
51,936 people
Growth since last census
-6.6%
vs previous census
In context
0.92× New South Wales avg
1.07× national avg
Population
179,423
CALD residents
51,936
Languages spoken
117
Fastest-growing
+10%
Narrative

Why this matters

Inner West is home to 179,423 residents. 28.9% of them speak a language other than English at home. That's 51,936 people whose daily linguistic reality shapes how services, communications and campaigns actually reach them.

This briefing pulls the full ABS Census 2021 picture for Inner West 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
    Mandarin5,945 · 3.3%
    ▼8.3%
  2. 02
    Greek4,880 · 2.7%
    ▼8.4%
  3. 03
    Italian4,037 · 2.2%
    ▼20.3%
  4. 04
    Vietnamese3,560 · 2.0%
    ▼4.3%
  5. 05
    Cantonese3,410 · 1.9%
    ▼2.4%
  6. 06
    Spanish2,688 · 1.5%
    ▲1.4%
  1. 01
    Arabic2,152 · 1.2%
    ▼11.5%
  2. 02
    Portuguese1,924 · 1.1%
    ▼3.1%
  3. 03
    Nepali1,876 · 1.0%
    ▼21.6%
  4. 04
    Thai1,123 · 0.6%
    ▼21.4%
  5. 05
    French954 · 0.5%
    ▼10.1%
  6. 06
    Korean739 · 0.4%
    ▲8.7%
Composition

Everyone at home

ENGLISH · 71%
MAN
OTHER
ENGLISH ONLY 71.1%  ·  OTHER LANGUAGES 28.9%
Mandarin
5,945 · -8.3%
Greek
4,880 · -8.4%
Italian
4,037 · -20.3%
Vietnamese
3,560 · -4.3%
Cantonese
3,410 · -2.4%
Spanish
2,688 · +1.4%
Arabic
2,152 · -11.5%
Portuguese
1,924 · -3.1%
Nepali
1,876 · -21.6%
Thai
1,123 · -21.4%
French
954
Korean
739
German
735
Tagalog
713
Japanese
682
SIZE = SPEAKERS  ·  TINT = GROWTH SINCE LAST CENSUS
  1. 01
    Mandarin5,945 · 3.3%
    ▼8.3%
  2. 02
    Greek4,880 · 2.7%
    ▼8.4%
  3. 03
    Italian4,037 · 2.2%
    ▼20.3%
  4. 04
    Vietnamese3,560 · 2.0%
    ▼4.3%
  5. 05
    Cantonese3,410 · 1.9%
    ▼2.4%
  6. 06
    Spanish2,688 · 1.5%
    ▲1.4%
  7. 07
    Arabic2,152 · 1.2%
    ▼11.5%
  8. 08
    Portuguese1,924 · 1.1%
    ▼3.1%
  9. 09
    Nepali1,876 · 1.0%
    ▼21.6%
  10. 10
    Thai1,123 · 0.6%
    ▼21.4%
  11. 11
    French954 · 0.5%
    ▼10.1%
  12. 12
    Korean739 · 0.4%
    ▲8.7%
Momentum

Fastest-growing languages

Top movers since the last census

#1
Language
German
+10.2%
735 speakers · 0.4% of LGA
#2
Language
Korean
+8.7%
739 speakers · 0.4% of LGA
#3
Language
Japanese
+2.6%
682 speakers · 0.4% of LGA
Sub-regions

Suburb-level data

Click a suburb to drill down to SAL-level figures

Ashfield (NSW)
22,565 RESIDENTS
52.6% CALDTop: Mandarin
Marrickville
26,058 RESIDENTS
36.8% CALDTop: Greek
Sydenham (NSW)
1,073 RESIDENTS
35.7% CALDTop: Vietnamese
Tempe
3,487 RESIDENTS
31.9% CALDTop: Macedonian
Dulwich Hill
13,517 RESIDENTS
31.2% CALDTop: Greek
Summer Hill (Inner West - NSW)
6,869 RESIDENTS
28.5% CALDTop: Mandarin
Lewisham (NSW)
4,147 RESIDENTS
28.1% CALDTop: Mandarin
Haberfield
6,351 RESIDENTS
27.9% CALDTop: Italian
St Peters (NSW)
3,599 RESIDENTS
24.6% CALDTop: Greek
Petersham
7,996 RESIDENTS
23.6% CALDTop: Portuguese
Enmore (Inner West - NSW)
3,714 RESIDENTS
22.6% CALDTop: Greek
Leichhardt (NSW)
14,892 RESIDENTS
22.3% CALDTop: Italian
Use this data

Commission a gap report for Inner West.

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