Highlights
- Punjabi is the fastest growing language in Australia
- India surpasses China and New Zealand in migration to become the third-largest country of birth
- Amongst more than 673K people who declared their country of birth as India, the largest age bracket is between 35 and 39 years
From the top ten in the 2016 census to the top five in 2021, the Punjabi language is reigning in Australia.
It continues to be the fastest-growing language in Australia, with more than 239,000 people speaking it at home, an increase of over 80 per cent from 2016 data that was 132,496.
The 2021 census data was collected from more than 250 ethnicities and 350 languages.
The number of people who used a language other than English at home has increased by nearly 800,000, rising to over 5.5 million people.
The top 5 languages used at home, other than English, are Mandarin (2.7 per cent), Arabic (1.4 per cent), Vietnamese (1.3 per cent), Cantonese (1.2 per cent) and Punjabi (0.9 per cent).
Punjabi: The most popular Indian sub-continental language
Punjabi has emerged as the most popular Indian sub-continental language, followed by Hindi (197,132) and Nepali (133,068).
Here are the state-wise figures for Punjabi speakers in Australia.
- VICTORIA – 104,949
- NSW – 53,460
- QUEENSLAND – 30,873
- WESTERN AUSTRALIA – 20,613
- SOUTH AUSTRALIA – 20,004
- AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY (ACT) – 5,019
- TASMANIA – 2,556
- NORTHERN TERRITORY – 1,563
As per data, Victoria is the biggest home of the Punjabi speakers in Australia, followed by New South Wales.
The ABS data states that out of 239K Punjabi speakers, more than 209K are from the Sikh religion
State wise breakdown of religious affiliation. Source: ABS
India: Third largest country of birth
The 2021 Census found that almost half of Australians have a parent born overseas (48.2 per cent), and the population continues to be drawn from around the globe, with 27.6 per cent reporting a birthplace overseas.
India surpasses China and New Zealand in migration to become the third-largest country of birth, behind Australia and England.
According to the latest census, over 220,000 additional people were born in India compared to the previous census in 2016.
Amongst the Indian-born population, 346,222 are Australian citizens, and 325,332 are other visa holders.
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Millennials (born between 1981 and 1995) form the majority of the Indian population
Data from the 2021 Census indicates the structure of our community has been changing significantly, with baby boomers and millennials as the biggest demographic age groups in Australia.
Amongst more than 673K people who declared their country of birth as India, the largest age bracket is between 35 and 39 years (131,468 ) followed by 30 to 34 years (111,454).
Australia is now a country of 25.5 million people, an increase of over two million people (2,020,896), or 8.6 per cent, since the 2016 Census.
