SourceTargetCommunity Atlas
Local Government Area · Queensland

Toowoomba

171,326 residents · 111+ languages recorded at suburb level.

CALD share
13.6%
23,258 people
Growth since last census
+802.7%
vs previous census
In context
0.86× Queensland avg
0.50× national avg
Population
171,326
CALD residents
23,258
Languages spoken
111
Fastest-growing
+5233%
Narrative

Why this matters

Toowoomba is home to 171,326 residents. 13.6% of them speak a language other than English at home. That's 23,258 people whose daily linguistic reality shapes how services, communications and campaigns actually reach them.

This briefing pulls the full ABS Census 2021 picture for Toowoomba 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
    Kurdish1,920 · 1.1%
    5233.3%
  2. 02
    Mandarin1,155 · 0.7%
    28.0%
  3. 03
    Arabic863 · 0.5%
    3.6%
  4. 04
    Nepali748 · 0.4%
    140.5%
  5. 05
    Punjabi688 · 0.4%
    130.9%
  6. 06
    Malayalam546 · 0.3%
    126.6%
  1. 01
    Tagalog539 · 0.3%
    28.0%
  2. 02
    Filipino511 · 0.3%
    33.4%
  3. 03
    Afrikaans465 · 0.3%
    16.8%
  4. 04
    Dinka456 · 0.3%
    3.4%
  5. 05
    Sinhalese370 · 0.2%
    58.1%
  6. 06
    Hindi333 · 0.2%
    44.8%
Composition

Everyone at home

ENGLISH · 86%
OTHER
ENGLISH ONLY 86.4%  ·  OTHER LANGUAGES 13.6%
Kurdish
1,920 · +5233.3%
Mandarin
1,155 · +28.0%
Arabic
863 · +3.6%
Nepali
748 · +140.5%
Punjabi
688 · +130.9%
Malayalam
546 · +126.6%
Tagalog
539 · +28.0%
Filipino
511 · +33.4%
Afrikaans
465 · +16.8%
Dinka
456 · -3.4%
Sinhalese
370 · +58.1%
Hindi
333 · +44.8%
Swahili
319 · +21.3%
Gujarati
289 · +75.2%
Portuguese
274 · +4.2%
SIZE = SPEAKERS  ·  TINT = GROWTH SINCE LAST CENSUS
  1. 01
    Kurdish1,920 · 1.1%
    5233.3%
  2. 02
    Mandarin1,155 · 0.7%
    28.0%
  3. 03
    Arabic863 · 0.5%
    3.6%
  4. 04
    Nepali748 · 0.4%
    140.5%
  5. 05
    Punjabi688 · 0.4%
    130.9%
  6. 06
    Malayalam546 · 0.3%
    126.6%
  7. 07
    Tagalog539 · 0.3%
    28.0%
  8. 08
    Filipino511 · 0.3%
    33.4%
  9. 09
    Afrikaans465 · 0.3%
    16.8%
  10. 10
    Dinka456 · 0.3%
    3.4%
  11. 11
    Sinhalese370 · 0.2%
    58.1%
  12. 12
    Hindi333 · 0.2%
    44.8%
Momentum

Fastest-growing languages

Top movers since the last census

#1
Language
Kurdish
+5233.3%
1,920 speakers · 1.1% of LGA
#2
Language
Nepali
+140.5%
748 speakers · 0.4% of LGA
#3
Language
Punjabi
+130.9%
688 speakers · 0.4% of LGA
Use this data

Commission a gap report for Toowoomba.

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