SourceTargetCommunity Atlas
Local Government Area · New South Wales

Wollongong

211,670 residents · 112+ languages recorded at suburb level.

CALD share
19.1%
40,491 people
Growth since last census
+13.7%
vs previous census
In context
0.61× New South Wales avg
0.70× national avg
Population
211,670
CALD residents
40,491
Languages spoken
112
Fastest-growing
+109%
Narrative

Why this matters

Wollongong is home to 211,670 residents. 19.1% of them speak a language other than English at home. That's 40,491 people whose daily linguistic reality shapes how services, communications and campaigns actually reach them.

This briefing pulls the full ABS Census 2021 picture for Wollongong 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
    Macedonian4,469 · 2.1%
    ▼6.2%
  2. 02
    Arabic2,888 · 1.4%
    ▲1.8%
  3. 03
    Italian2,869 · 1.4%
    ▼21.7%
  4. 04
    Mandarin2,203 · 1.0%
    ▼26.3%
  5. 05
    Spanish1,638 · 0.8%
    ▲7.4%
  6. 06
    Greek1,502 · 0.7%
    ▼10.6%
  1. 01
    Serbian1,411 · 0.7%
    ▼1.0%
  2. 02
    Vietnamese1,105 · 0.5%
    ▲1.8%
  3. 03
    Portuguese931 · 0.4%
    ▼2.2%
  4. 04
    Turkish878 · 0.4%
    ▲4.8%
  5. 05
    Malayalam740 · 0.3%
    ▲36.3%
  6. 06
    Croatian594 · 0.3%
    ▼4.7%
Composition

Everyone at home

ENGLISH · 81%
OTHER
ENGLISH ONLY 80.9%  ·  OTHER LANGUAGES 19.1%
Macedonian
4,469 · -6.2%
Arabic
2,888 · +1.8%
Italian
2,869 · -21.7%
Mandarin
2,203 · -26.3%
Spanish
1,638 · +7.4%
Greek
1,502 · -10.6%
Serbian
1,411 · -1.0%
Vietnamese
1,105 · +1.8%
Portuguese
931 · -2.2%
Turkish
878 · +4.8%
Malayalam
740
Croatian
594
Urdu
554
Thai
537
Hindi
486
SIZE = SPEAKERS  ·  TINT = GROWTH SINCE LAST CENSUS
  1. 01
    Macedonian4,469 · 2.1%
    ▼6.2%
  2. 02
    Arabic2,888 · 1.4%
    ▲1.8%
  3. 03
    Italian2,869 · 1.4%
    ▼21.7%
  4. 04
    Mandarin2,203 · 1.0%
    ▼26.3%
  5. 05
    Spanish1,638 · 0.8%
    ▲7.4%
  6. 06
    Greek1,502 · 0.7%
    ▼10.6%
  7. 07
    Serbian1,411 · 0.7%
    ▼1.0%
  8. 08
    Vietnamese1,105 · 0.5%
    ▲1.8%
  9. 09
    Portuguese931 · 0.4%
    ▼2.2%
  10. 10
    Turkish878 · 0.4%
    ▲4.8%
  11. 11
    Malayalam740 · 0.3%
    ▲36.3%
  12. 12
    Croatian594 · 0.3%
    ▼4.7%
Momentum

Fastest-growing languages

Top movers since the last census

#1
Language
Urdu
+109.1%
554 speakers · 0.3% of LGA
#2
Language
Hindi
+50.0%
486 speakers · 0.2% of LGA
#3
Language
Malayalam
+36.3%
740 speakers · 0.3% of LGA
Sub-regions

Suburb-level data

Click a suburb to drill down to SAL-level figures

Cringila
2,157 RESIDENTS
58.6% CALDTop: Arabic
Cataract
8 RESIDENTS
50.0% CALDTop: Macedonian
Warrawong
4,716 RESIDENTS
42.7% CALDTop: Macedonian
Coniston
2,223 RESIDENTS
36.8% CALDTop: Macedonian
Gwynneville
2,942 RESIDENTS
36.5% CALDTop: Mandarin
Lake Heights
3,893 RESIDENTS
33.8% CALDTop: Arabic
Wollongong
20,546 RESIDENTS
31.8% CALDTop: Mandarin
Port Kembla
4,958 RESIDENTS
28.8% CALDTop: Macedonian
North Wollongong
2,307 RESIDENTS
28.6% CALDTop: Mandarin
Keiraville
4,096 RESIDENTS
27.7% CALDTop: Mandarin
Fairy Meadow
7,348 RESIDENTS
26.9% CALDTop: Italian
Berkeley
7,968 RESIDENTS
25.6% CALDTop: Macedonian
Use this data

Commission a gap report for Wollongong.

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