SourceTargetCommunity Atlas
Local Government Area · Queensland

Townsville

190,139 residents · 118+ languages recorded at suburb level.

CALD share
14.9%
28,315 people
Growth since last census
+24.3%
vs previous census
In context
0.94× Queensland avg
0.55× national avg
Population
190,139
CALD residents
28,315
Languages spoken
118
Fastest-growing
+97%
Narrative

Why this matters

Townsville is home to 190,139 residents. 14.9% of them speak a language other than English at home. That's 28,315 people whose daily linguistic reality shapes how services, communications and campaigns actually reach them.

This briefing pulls the full ABS Census 2021 picture for Townsville 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
    Tagalog905 · 0.5%
    37.5%
  2. 02
    Malayalam791 · 0.4%
    41.8%
  3. 03
    Italian546 · 0.3%
    20.3%
  4. 04
    Mandarin482 · 0.3%
    5.7%
  5. 05
    Swahili467 · 0.2%
    97.0%
  6. 06
    Filipino427 · 0.2%
    1.4%
  1. 01
    Spanish418 · 0.2%
    12.4%
  2. 02
    Punjabi400 · 0.2%
    59.4%
  3. 03
    Vietnamese397 · 0.2%
    26.8%
  4. 04
    Korean392 · 0.2%
    47.4%
  5. 05
    German384 · 0.2%
    17.2%
  6. 06
    Afrikaans359 · 0.2%
    3.2%
Composition

Everyone at home

ENGLISH · 85%
OTHER
ENGLISH ONLY 85.1%  ·  OTHER LANGUAGES 14.9%
Tagalog
905 · +37.5%
Malayalam
791 · +41.8%
Italian
546 · -20.3%
Mandarin
482 · -5.7%
Swahili
467 · +97.0%
Filipino
427 · -1.4%
Spanish
418 · +12.4%
Punjabi
400 · +59.4%
Vietnamese
397 · +26.8%
Korean
392 · +47.4%
German
384 · -17.2%
Afrikaans
359 · +3.2%
Hindi
314 · +13.8%
Cantonese
295 · -5.4%
French
291 · +32.9%
SIZE = SPEAKERS  ·  TINT = GROWTH SINCE LAST CENSUS
  1. 01
    Tagalog905 · 0.5%
    37.5%
  2. 02
    Malayalam791 · 0.4%
    41.8%
  3. 03
    Italian546 · 0.3%
    20.3%
  4. 04
    Mandarin482 · 0.3%
    5.7%
  5. 05
    Swahili467 · 0.2%
    97.0%
  6. 06
    Filipino427 · 0.2%
    1.4%
  7. 07
    Spanish418 · 0.2%
    12.4%
  8. 08
    Punjabi400 · 0.2%
    59.4%
  9. 09
    Vietnamese397 · 0.2%
    26.8%
  10. 10
    Korean392 · 0.2%
    47.4%
  11. 11
    German384 · 0.2%
    17.2%
  12. 12
    Afrikaans359 · 0.2%
    3.2%
Momentum

Fastest-growing languages

Top movers since the last census

#1
Language
Swahili
+97.0%
467 speakers · 0.2% of LGA
#2
Language
Punjabi
+59.4%
400 speakers · 0.2% of LGA
#3
Language
Korean
+47.4%
392 speakers · 0.2% of LGA
Use this data

Commission a gap report for Townsville.

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