We all live in our own bubble with like-minded friends and familiar work colleagues – COVID lockdowns and travel restrictions have probably made the bubble tighter. But how can we market to Australians if we don’t know who they are beyond our bubble?
The release of the 2021 Census data this week is timely, providing a reality check of what our contemporary Australia looks like.
From recognising Pride Month and celebrating Lunar New Year to commemorating NAIDOC Week, our industry is all over inclusion. So, what does the 2021 Census tell us about Australian consumers? And what are the implications for marketers?
Diversity. Too big to ignore.
Australia is now a predominantly migrant country with more than half (51.5%) of the 25.5m population born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas. If your business is marketing to all Australians, then you need to communicate to Australians from a migrant background.
We are more linguistically diverse than ever, with more than 5.5m people speaking a language other than English at home –almost 800,000 more than the previous Census. Of these, around 800,000 do not speak English well, so your most engaging and hilarious TVC won’t be cutting though.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations are bigger than ever before, with more than 812,000 people, an increase of 25% over the previous Census. Indigenous Australians now account for 3.2% of the Australian population.
Multiculturalism. A valuable thing.
Refugees and asylum seekers dominate media headlines and shape our image of this audience. The reality is very different. Australia’s immigration policy over the past couple of decades have prioritised skilled and business migrants.
Migrants of today typically buy a car within 12 months of arrival, a house with 3 to 4 years and an investment property by year 5 according to SBS’s Calling Australia Home, a research report looking at the settlement journey of new migrants.
Nielsen’s Ethnic-Australian Consumer Report found migrant-Australian FMCG expenditure is growing at a faster rate than Australian-born expenditure. The report predicts migrant-Australians’ spend will grow at a faster rate than their Australian-born counterparts, accounting for over $4.4 billion in incremental revenue. This will result in the migrant-Australian shopper contributing a total of $18.7 billion (or 28%) of the total FMCG retail channel.
Get competitive. Get there first.
Over 1 million migrants settled in Australia between the 2016 and 2021 Censuses. That figure would have been higher if it wasn’t for COVID – about 80% of these arrivals were before the pandemic.
This is almost one million instant consumers who have had to buy clothing, home goods, mobile phones, cars and homes. Contrast this with the natural growth rate, you’ll be waiting decades before babies born today will become affluent consumers.
Get there first if you want to get first mover advantage. Brand awareness and loyalty haven’t been built. New migrants don’t yet know the difference between Commbank, ANZ or ING. They haven’t yet developed a preference between Coles, Woolies or Aldi.
Multicultural media is also less cluttered so building your brand or retail message more cost effectively. It allows challenger brands to act like the ‘big boys’.
Migrants, particularly those with limited English proficiency have a lower churn rate. When we arrived from Vietnam as refugees over four decades ago, the Commonwealth Bank was owned by the Australian Government. We had to open an account with the Commbank to receive our social services payment. Today, Cabramatta, a Vietnamese community hub, has one of the busiest Commbank branches in Australia with 9 ATMs – not bad for a suburb of just over 21,000 people.
Get there early and you’ll reap the rewards in the short and long term.
Talking to diverse audiences. It’s easier than you think.
Some communities are highly concentrated making media targeting highly effective and cost efficient. In NSW, seven in 10 people in the Fairfield local government area speak a language other than English at home, half of the residents in Burwood (NSW) have Chinese ancestry.
This concentration is perfect for geo-targeted digital or OOH media and makes it easier to measure a campaigns success if you can track sales by location.
Don’t go into it with blind faith.
We are now less religious than ever. While still significantly the most common religion in Australia, for the first time, fewer than half (44%) of Australians identified as Christian. Almost 40% of the population said they had no religion and increase of 10% over previous Census.
Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism are the next largest religious affiliations. Marketers will need to consider the trend away from Christian beliefs and values when developing creative. Religious diversity also comes with greater opportunities, Diwali and Ramadan are already starting to emerge as retail occasions in Australia.
Thang Ngo is a strategist at Identity Communications, Australia’s largest multicultural marketing agency – an IPG Mediabrands company. Twitter @thangngo.
Key multicultural stats from the 2016 Census June 27 release.
The Census is the most comprehensive research into diverse communities in Australia. IDENTITY, the intelligent multicultural marketing agency, has summarised key multicultural stats from the June release of the 2016 Census below, including:
Top languages spoken in Australia, other than English.
Top 35 languages ranked by low English proficiency.
Top 50 countries of birth in Australia.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Status by Age and Gender.
If you find this information useful, please share – we’re happy for everyone to use.
Top languages spoken in Australia (other than English).
4.9m people speak a language other than English in Australia according to the 2016 Census. That’s an increase of 1m since the last Census in 2011. Mandarin is now our most spoken language other than English, by a long way – almost double the next language group, Arabic.
All languages recorded in the Census ranked by total Australian population. To sort by a State or Territory, click on the arrow pointers at the top of the corresponding column. For example, to find the top languages spoken in NSW, click on the arrow pointer to the right of the NSW column. For top languages spoken in Victoria, click on the pointer on the right of VIC.
Rank
Language
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Total
1
Mandarin
239945
191793
69474
28780
47840
3971
2163
12408
596711
2
Arabic
200825
79589
13644
9292
14132
829
361
3040
321728
3
Cantonese
143333
78079
24900
9666
19339
972
729
3853
280943
4
Vietnamese
102896
103430
25914
19017
20247
442
1215
4216
277400
5
Italian
75694
112272
20009
29106
29401
1096
765
3245
271597
6
Greek
81683
110707
10538
22993
4790
1191
3245
2436
237588
7
Tagalog/Filipino
69344
40831
28370
9347
25585
938
5039
2995
182493
8
Hindi
67034
51241
18163
7310
10747
639
852
3646
159652
9
Spanish
63527
35494
21006
5669
10415
936
487
3273
140817
10
Punjabi
33435
56171
17991
9306
12223
489
670
2215
132496
11
Korean
59912
15519
19620
3600
7107
506
360
2370
108997
12
German
23033
19714
16488
6453
9320
1576
842
1913
79353
13
Tamil
29681
25662
5520
2701
6888
306
516
1883
73161
14
French
23743
19313
11988
2720
9597
820
646
2047
70873
15
Urdu
29722
23205
4957
2942
5368
291
441
2369
69293
16
Indonesian
30032
16782
5551
1822
10934
253
1191
1325
67891
17
Macedonian
28144
29487
1264
633
5849
18
26
599
66019
18
Sinhalese
11234
37423
5907
2640
4939
222
527
1721
64612
19
Nepali
34606
10414
5918
4504
2831
1647
1219
866
62005
20
Turkish
21620
31832
2054
697
1727
88
53
285
58355
21
Persian (excluding Dari)
22044
16434
6713
4745
6703
593
151
937
58313
22
Croatian
21156
20504
4009
3075
5556
270
43
2272
56885
23
Japanese
17319
11480
16877
2200
5859
601
506
1116
55966
24
Thai
24839
11669
8126
1955
6403
490
866
1077
55444
25
Bengali
31687
10992
3683
2406
3263
148
432
1941
54566
26
Serbian
21488
17057
4759
4175
5038
127
61
1095
53801
27
Malayalam
13881
16950
7614
3692
7544
254
1274
1994
53206
28
Gujarati
18873
15059
6065
4345
7435
80
275
739
52888
29
Russian
18763
17685
6005
3289
3218
317
134
895
50314
30
Portuguese
23003
7301
8634
1550
7070
109
532
654
48853
31
Polish
14124
15175
5224
5677
5978
685
118
1089
48083
32
Samoan
16544
11609
14969
155
943
49
117
486
44869
33
Afrikaans
7735
5560
12525
2362
14208
375
308
652
43741
34
Khmer
11694
14720
2545
4255
1569
26
251
369
35428
35
Telugu
12456
13158
3442
1325
2169
110
255
1519
34435
36
Dutch
8686
8600
7157
2551
5100
903
243
582
33835
37
Non-verbal, so described
11716
9206
4860
2219
3611
366
398
790
33179
38
Maltese
12327
16898
1357
846
387
19
6
153
31987
39
Dari
9139
12386
2129
3408
2822
160
15
368
30437
40
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
20317
7567
274
14
124
3
0
44
28349
41
Hazaraghi
4831
9060
1611
3922
2560
132
44
100
22272
42
Chinese, nfd
7115
7095
2330
1292
1211
232
62
637
19979
43
Hungarian
6533
6730
3478
1409
1232
129
89
290
19895
44
Malay
2838
4948
1893
1015
5899
189
143
326
17942
45
Min Nan
7210
5749
1327
810
2481
35
63
200
17905
46
Tongan
10286
3257
3054
130
440
41
122
364
17691
47
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
9341
7779
35
7
3
0
0
8
17172
48
Burmese
4901
4176
1202
514
4904
108
168
348
16321
49
Bosnian
3885
5881
2549
1406
1877
61
25
138
15832
50
Somali
1244
7457
2441
415
2528
18
26
45
14176
51
Marathi
5969
3879
1038
708
1066
56
53
288
13055
52
Romanian
2451
5125
2365
968
1857
48
25
115
12955
53
Inadequately described
3246
4274
2381
793
1362
312
184
290
12847
54
Dinka
2010
4869
1781
1780
1600
11
104
537
12701
55
Maori (New Zealand)
2429
1680
4264
222
2859
52
178
58
11747
56
Swahili
1773
2447
2262
2004
2364
143
232
238
11460
57
Shona
2583
2129
1757
624
3215
51
356
324
11037
58
Hebrew
3468
5177
716
189
623
22
16
133
10341
59
Karen
827
5175
1404
350
2067
168
48
228
10270
60
Armenian
7843
2005
115
111
103
4
0
24
10194
61
Auslan
2695
2874
2336
852
941
204
61
155
10112
62
Lao
5404
1999
863
708
226
20
47
718
9983
63
Kannada
3663
3655
839
453
801
32
30
225
9701
64
Pashto
2654
4692
532
590
546
15
21
184
9233
65
Albanian
772
6834
512
579
404
14
20
48
9181
66
Hakka
1679
5533
488
93
595
6
531
47
8989
67
Swedish
3317
1905
1940
396
1009
120
66
206
8956
68
Australian Indigenous Languages, nfd
610
159
2299
618
1545
21
3482
44
8803
69
Fijian
4525
1008
1700
172
370
34
175
131
8145
70
Czech
3392
1562
1394
484
783
124
51
150
7938
71
Southern Asian Languages, nfd
2748
2841
1042
389
680
31
58
118
7915
72
Ukrainian
2208
2836
706
1097
617
52
18
141
7676
73
Kriol
3
19
364
3
2376
0
4390
0
7155
74
Amharic
769
3724
685
498
890
151
9
87
6812
75
Kurdish
2654
1604
592
754
533
19
4
42
6199
76
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole)
78
25
5901
4
103
0
55
4
6171
77
Serbo-Croatian/Yugoslavian, so described
1828
1913
895
507
811
13
7
88
6061
78
Finnish
1589
968
2115
260
417
115
42
473
5962
79
Danish
1728
1089
1631
286
766
98
57
118
5777
80
Slovak
2238
1588
731
363
414
27
10
61
5437
81
Maori (Cook Island)
1612
1468
1609
63
308
10
21
28
5107
82
Creole, nfd
133
844
3414
106
172
8
203
68
4939
83
Chin Haka
166
3143
150
574
720
12
42
0
4806
84
Tigrinya
378
2215
711
325
745
125
4
76
4583
85
Djambarrpuyngu
0
3
6
0
0
0
4275
0
4282
86
Mauritian Creole
762
2368
82
19
929
3
14
19
4200
87
Slovene
1269
1736
466
265
200
22
17
108
4089
88
Bisaya
1025
808
937
314
667
45
152
97
4061
89
Tok Pisin (Neomelanesian)
643
315
1887
86
603
22
92
94
3741
90
Burmese and Related Languages, nec
309
1828
525
356
312
54
3
29
3407
91
Wu
2150
936
106
72
51
3
0
62
3384
92
Pitjantjatjara
8
13
14
1847
364
3
868
3
3125
93
Kirundi (Rundi)
247
324
1002
878
576
24
39
7
3097
94
Akan
1742
486
209
110
423
13
11
105
3095
95
Oromo
115
2101
183
134
405
79
18
12
3047
96
Latvian
875
1007
277
492
161
28
15
97
2950
97
Norwegian
964
523
717
172
370
38
20
91
2898
98
Cebuano
756
705
535
234
450
20
78
42
2820
99
African Languages, nec
845
571
465
288
480
46
38
59
2786
100
Fijian Hindustani
1464
535
542
45
52
0
19
45
2710
101
Bulgarian
843
704
411
334
330
18
15
24
2682
102
Krio
1315
292
262
162
346
34
9
115
2530
103
Yoruba
635
672
381
149
462
24
50
93
2465
104
Hmong
151
573
1667
0
0
43
0
18
2449
105
Konkani
830
967
194
108
255
8
13
44
2416
106
Other Southern Asian Languages
306
182
130
62
1159
19
7
533
2398
107
French Creole, nfd
367
1215
182
23
552
0
4
40
2385
108
Warlpiri
7
16
15
50
39
0
2171
3
2304
109
Rohingya
964
566
609
51
23
0
19
4
2248
110
African Languages, nfd
602
626
350
140
402
22
26
54
2232
111
Nuer
19
1601
136
69
289
10
34
0
2157
112
Mongolian
1507
181
194
46
121
12
0
88
2144
113
Tiwi
6
6
9
8
3
0
2006
0
2040
114
Igbo
716
450
237
146
250
31
47
152
2035
115
Pidgin, nfd
78
190
1544
50
17
11
81
46
2021
116
Lithuanian
722
654
165
244
151
29
5
36
1999
117
Murrinh Patha
4
8
4
0
3
0
1958
0
1973
118
Irish
586
412
299
73
473
24
25
40
1941
119
Estonian
608
290
314
117
411
21
55
20
1844
120
Kunwinjku
0
0
0
0
3
0
1703
0
1710
121
Welsh
434
300
365
147
365
23
17
43
1688
122
Sindhi
458
574
259
111
101
3
11
69
1592
123
Alyawarr
0
0
19
3
0
0
1523
0
1548
124
Yiddish
137
1294
28
4
27
7
0
5
1495
125
Anindilyakwa
0
0
19
0
0
0
1458
0
1484
126
Tibetan
857
391
81
35
22
19
0
74
1473
127
Indo-Aryan, nfd
611
349
226
60
95
12
10
28
1400
128
Ndebele
356
203
198
51
420
3
87
49
1363
129
Sign Languages, nfd
388
200
415
98
124
36
18
12
1296
130
Ngaanyatjarra
0
0
0
4
1097
0
11
0
1112
131
Tetum
300
337
63
41
117
7
222
20
1105
132
Zomi
63
620
234
181
3
13
0
0
1104
133
Acholi
72
111
420
143
253
55
28
0
1089
134
Norf'k-Pitcairn
125
9
166
3
11
0
3
3
1035
135
Uygur
289
271
50
397
10
0
0
3
1025
136
Gaelic (Scotland)
317
247
177
48
161
19
15
22
1006
137
Burarra
0
0
6
0
3
0
986
0
995
138
Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya
12
3
930
0
3
0
8
0
957
139
Luritja
3
0
0
15
27
0
904
0
955
140
Tokelauan
455
28
402
13
41
0
17
0
953
141
Burmese and Related Languages, nfd
58
379
87
96
288
26
0
10
951
142
Madi
185
42
286
148
172
73
14
13
934
143
Iranic, nfd
296
326
84
89
91
0
3
5
891
144
Kinyarwanda (Rwanda)
144
98
350
137
120
16
0
13
880
145
Cape York Peninsula Languages, nec
0
3
854
0
3
0
13
0
875
146
Bari
79
169
93
147
319
19
19
12
853
147
Arrernte, nec
8
7
16
31
7
0
780
0
840
148
Niue
311
108
269
10
80
8
0
3
787
149
Bemba
61
81
87
21
513
3
6
12
783
150
Guugu Yimidhirr
0
7
765
0
0
0
0
0
775
151
Yolngu Matha, nfd
27
9
40
0
8
0
633
0
724
152
Martu Wangka
0
0
0
0
720
0
7
0
724
153
Oriya
313
236
58
23
43
4
0
41
721
154
Indo-Aryan, nec
335
217
44
43
56
7
3
14
716
155
Swiss, so described
171
114
218
35
128
20
20
9
711
156
Ilonggo (Hiligaynon)
220
176
130
56
96
5
17
3
696
157
Motu (HiriMotu)
54
27
543
13
13
0
22
15
693
158
Arrernte, nfd
0
0
3
3
0
0
674
0
688
159
Zulu
170
110
107
44
164
9
37
21
664
160
Mon-Khmer, nec
39
128
462
0
3
22
0
5
655
161
Aboriginal English, so described
169
31
188
90
119
0
25
23
651
162
Tulu
191
230
50
24
88
0
7
0
585
163
Mandinka
121
63
162
173
48
8
7
0
582
164
Harari
17
514
17
4
25
0
0
0
576
165
Papua New Guinea Languages, nfd
56
32
410
14
27
3
19
11
570
166
IIokano
222
135
73
37
75
0
22
6
559
167
Ewe
155
119
83
68
94
0
9
18
541
168
Dhivehi
62
168
61
59
147
10
3
27
539
169
Anmatyerr, nec
0
0
0
3
0
0
521
0
531
170
Fulfulde
243
41
52
43
136
0
3
9
525
171
Seychelles Creole
51
27
166
7
275
0
0
0
522
172
Uzbek
72
87
154
169
29
3
0
8
518
173
Luganda
138
148
74
34
85
3
3
11
498
174
Timorese
125
263
15
6
23
0
58
0
498
175
Nyungar
15
21
12
11
419
0
8
0
475
176
Wiradjuri
372
22
37
0
0
0
3
19
457
177
Tswana
93
106
84
37
90
4
7
23
451
178
Wik Mungkan
0
3
442
0
0
0
0
0
450
179
Azeri
188
100
54
16
56
6
0
17
445
180
Catalan
164
132
72
18
37
11
0
8
443
181
Western Arrarnta
0
0
0
14
0
0
422
0
440
182
Yankunytjatjara
13
4
3
110
8
0
287
0
420
183
Nyanja (Chichewa)
43
66
45
40
196
12
10
15
416
184
Gurindji
3
0
3
0
3
0
390
0
405
185
Gilbertese
66
53
189
19
18
0
35
13
387
186
Eastern Arrernte
0
0
6
4
0
0
381
0
385
187
Yindjibarndi
0
0
0
0
375
0
0
0
377
188
Assamese
140
139
34
12
37
0
0
25
373
189
Maung
0
0
0
0
0
0
376
0
371
190
Rotuman
206
17
98
4
26
3
7
5
363
191
Other Australian Indigenous Languages, nec
169
14
57
30
28
44
16
8
362
192
Turkmen
155
55
36
66
24
0
0
3
336
193
Torres Strait Island Languages, nfd
11
4
292
0
13
0
16
3
335
194
Dhuwaya
0
0
0
0
0
0
334
0
334
195
Kuku Yalanji
0
0
326
0
0
0
0
0
323
196
Warumungu
0
0
6
3
3
0
302
0
321
197
Bardi
0
0
0
0
318
0
0
0
321
198
Nauruan
13
143
147
0
0
0
0
7
312
199
Ngarrindjeri
5
4
0
292
3
0
7
0
312
200
Manyjilyjarra
0
3
0
0
310
0
0
0
311
201
Latin
103
98
59
20
15
7
0
7
309
202
Southeast Asian Austronesian Languages, nec
88
56
79
14
51
4
3
9
305
203
Lingala
22
36
82
59
67
4
19
0
301
204
Solomon Islands Pijin
66
11
142
5
36
0
8
17
294
205
Southeast Asian Austronesian Languages, nfd
73
45
45
14
106
0
6
3
291
206
Icelandic
75
43
81
16
64
0
0
0
286
207
Walmajarri
0
0
0
0
279
0
7
0
283
208
Mon
23
35
8
12
56
0
0
143
282
209
Nunggubuyu
0
0
0
0
0
0
276
0
276
210
Pacific Austronesian Languages, nec
71
34
115
11
15
0
7
9
267
211
Bislama
77
36
105
10
7
5
7
13
266
212
Dhuwal, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
265
0
266
213
Liberian (Liberian English)
52
57
69
38
23
0
10
3
251
214
Balochi
56
25
14
15
142
0
0
3
251
215
Tuvaluan
23
60
148
0
10
0
5
3
249
216
Cypriot, so described
87
111
12
31
3
0
4
0
249
217
Pampangan
99
73
44
8
20
0
0
0
249
218
Anuak
34
22
106
16
57
3
0
0
242
219
Ngarinyman
0
0
0
0
12
0
220
0
234
220
Shilluk
12
200
0
0
4
0
0
4
231
221
Ga
81
41
30
28
38
0
3
7
227
222
Wangkatha
0
3
8
0
213
0
0
0
225
223
Dan (Gio-Dan)
62
91
8
28
31
0
0
0
222
224
Key Word Sign Australia
54
42
70
6
29
0
3
3
218
225
Meriam Mir
0
0
195
0
3
0
21
0
217
226
Jaru
0
0
0
0
207
0
3
0
217
227
Kashmiri
78
89
16
6
9
0
0
8
215
228
Nyangumarta
0
0
0
0
211
0
0
0
211
229
Kuuk Thayorre
0
0
204
0
0
0
3
0
205
230
Hausa
64
57
20
19
32
11
0
5
202
231
Balinese
69
32
40
9
37
0
13
0
199
232
Georgian
103
73
7
9
0
0
0
3
198
233
Moro (Nuba Moro)
54
28
52
0
53
5
0
0
188
234
Belorussian
47
81
16
19
13
0
0
3
187
235
Kune
0
3
0
0
0
0
175
0
180
236
Ndjebbana (Gunavidji)
0
0
0
0
0
0
173
0
177
237
Tigre
4
103
6
15
35
0
0
4
170
238
Kija
0
0
0
0
162
0
0
0
169
239
Romany
31
96
13
3
21
3
0
0
167
240
Mandaean (Mandaic)
85
32
24
7
14
0
0
0
164
241
Czechoslovakian, so described
73
28
20
18
17
3
0
3
161
242
Xhosa
41
27
35
9
33
0
0
4
159
243
Eastern European Languages, nfd
40
38
5
9
64
0
0
0
157
244
Miriwoong
0
0
0
0
139
0
13
0
156
245
Papua New Guinea Languages, nec
26
27
69
4
4
7
3
6
152
246
Pintupi
0
0
0
0
60
0
80
0
147
247
Gupapuyngu
0
0
0
0
0
0
145
0
146
248
Mayali
0
0
0
0
0
0
146
0
145
249
Wajarri
0
5
0
0
108
0
27
0
145
250
Adnymathanha
0
0
0
130
0
0
3
0
140
251
Kikuyu
21
40
5
25
37
0
8
0
137
252
Luo
24
30
24
7
32
0
3
7
135
253
Gooniyandi
0
0
0
0
134
0
0
0
134
254
Invented Languages
32
37
15
23
13
3
0
4
131
255
Kukatja
0
0
0
0
121
0
9
0
130
256
Garrwa
0
0
12
0
0
0
117
0
129
257
Dhuwala, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
125
0
125
258
Iwaidja
0
0
0
3
0
0
112
0
123
259
Kaytetye
0
0
0
0
0
0
118
0
122
260
Other Eastern Asian Languages, nec
58
19
34
3
3
0
6
0
120
261
Dravidian, nec
44
48
14
0
3
0
0
0
118
262
American Languages
36
28
26
4
12
0
3
4
116
263
Gumatj
0
0
0
0
0
0
116
0
116
264
Tatar
3
9
0
86
0
4
0
0
113
265
Bandjalang
91
3
16
0
0
0
0
0
113
266
Bikol
29
28
25
16
8
0
0
3
111
267
Djinang, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
107
0
107
268
Gamilaraay
69
0
25
0
0
0
0
3
105
269
Anmatyerr, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
101
0
105
270
Banyjima
0
0
0
0
105
0
0
0
104
271
Acehnese
54
0
33
0
15
0
0
0
104
272
Other Australian Indigenous Languages, nfd
27
0
32
0
0
0
41
0
102
273
Mudburra
0
0
0
0
0
0
90
0
92
274
Gudanji
0
0
25
0
0
0
62
0
91
275
Djapu
0
0
0
0
37
0
49
0
90
276
Gumbaynggir
87
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
90
277
Galpu
0
0
0
0
0
0
89
0
89
278
Mann
11
29
18
21
10
0
0
0
88
279
Other Southern European Languages, nec
22
36
11
7
13
0
0
0
85
280
Pacific Austronesian Languages, nfd
22
9
49
0
6
0
0
0
85
281
Turkic, nec
20
15
11
3
21
0
0
0
80
282
Javanese
21
18
5
4
14
0
3
7
78
283
Bassa
24
19
3
15
10
0
6
3
77
284
Loma (Lorma)
3
32
4
7
26
0
3
0
75
285
Themne
53
0
10
0
0
0
0
0
69
286
Krahn
7
22
9
23
6
0
0
3
68
287
Mangala
0
0
0
0
68
0
0
0
68
288
Basque
15
13
43
0
4
0
0
0
65
289
Lardil
0
0
65
0
0
0
0
0
65
290
Dhalwangu
0
0
0
0
0
0
61
0
62
291
Iban
9
7
8
9
33
0
0
0
62
292
Yorta Yorta
3
55
0
0
0
0
0
0
62
293
Wambaya
0
0
0
0
0
0
60
0
61
294
Yawuru
0
3
0
0
44
0
17
0
61
295
Nyikina
0
0
0
0
60
0
0
0
61
296
Other Southeast Asian Languages
21
4
13
4
9
0
0
3
58
297
Na-kara
0
0
0
0
0
0
58
0
58
298
Wangurri
0
0
0
0
0
0
58
0
58
299
Sign Languages, nec
20
17
17
0
0
3
0
3
56
300
Frisian
14
14
16
7
3
0
0
5
55
301
Oceanian Pidgins and Creoles, nec
3
9
40
0
0
0
3
3
55
302
Ganalbingu
0
0
0
0
0
0
53
0
54
303
Kaurna
0
0
0
45
4
0
0
0
53
304
Kuninjku
0
0
0
0
0
0
51
0
51
305
Liyagalawumirr
0
0
0
0
0
0
51
0
51
306
Wardaman
0
0
0
0
0
0
50
0
50
307
Spanish Creole, nfd
3
26
10
0
0
0
0
7
49
308
Gun-nartpa
0
0
0
0
0
0
49
0
49
309
Letzeburgish
16
7
5
0
10
0
0
0
48
310
Aromunian (Macedo-Romanian)
3
43
0
0
0
0
0
0
47
311
Tai, nec
11
7
9
0
0
0
3
8
46
312
Gurr-goni
0
0
0
0
0
0
46
0
46
313
Bilinarra
0
0
0
0
0
0
44
0
46
314
Gundjeihmi
0
0
0
0
0
0
40
0
46
315
Djabugay
0
0
46
0
0
0
0
0
46
316
Dhangu, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
45
0
45
317
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages, nec
28
7
3
4
3
0
0
0
44
318
Girramay
0
0
44
0
0
0
0
0
44
319
Rembarrnga
4
0
0
0
0
0
37
0
43
320
Ngarluma
0
0
0
0
42
0
0
0
42
321
Paakantyi
29
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
42
322
Bunuba
0
0
0
0
41
0
0
0
41
323
Karajarri
0
0
0
0
39
0
0
0
41
324
Kiwai
0
0
34
0
0
0
9
0
40
325
Yanyuwa
0
0
0
0
0
0
35
0
39
326
Yinhawangka
0
0
0
0
39
0
0
0
39
327
Ngarinyin
0
0
0
0
38
0
3
0
38
328
Eastern Asian Languages, nfd
16
0
20
0
0
0
0
0
38
329
Chinese, nec
13
9
0
3
3
0
0
0
34
330
Dhanggatti
32
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
34
331
Celtic, nec
17
5
6
4
4
0
0
0
31
332
Iberian Romance, nfd
16
3
14
0
0
0
0
0
30
333
Celtic, nfd
3
21
4
0
0
0
0
3
29
334
Daatiwuy
0
0
0
0
0
0
29
0
29
335
Ngaliwurru
0
0
0
0
0
0
25
0
29
336
Dhuwal, nec
0
0
0
0
0
0
28
0
28
337
Dharawal
27
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
27
338
Ngan'gikurunggurr
0
0
0
0
0
0
28
0
26
339
Warlmanpa
0
0
0
0
0
0
23
0
26
340
Kimberley Area Languages, nec
0
0
0
0
26
0
0
0
26
341
Narungga
0
3
0
21
0
0
4
0
25
342
Nyamal
0
0
0
0
23
0
0
0
25
343
Iberian Romance, nec
13
3
5
3
0
0
0
0
24
344
Batjala
0
0
17
0
0
0
0
0
24
345
Jingulu
0
0
0
0
0
0
23
0
23
346
German and Related Languages, nfd
9
0
7
3
5
0
0
3
22
347
Ritharrngu
0
0
0
0
0
0
22
0
22
348
Bidjara
0
6
6
3
0
0
0
0
22
349
Kartujarra
0
0
0
0
21
0
0
0
21
350
Scandinavian, nec
3
0
6
0
4
0
0
0
20
351
Cape York Peninsula Languages, nfd
0
0
13
0
0
0
0
7
19
352
Waanyi
0
0
3
0
0
0
16
0
19
353
Kariyarra
0
0
0
0
19
0
0
0
19
354
Kpelle
3
3
8
3
5
0
0
0
19
355
Iranic, nec
16
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
19
356
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages, nfd
10
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
19
357
Yidiny
0
0
13
0
0
0
0
0
19
358
Dhay'yi, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
0
18
359
Wagilak
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
0
18
360
Wagiman
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
0
18
361
Oceanian Pidgins and Creoles, nfd
4
5
4
0
0
0
8
0
18
362
Arnhem Land and Daly River Region Languages, nec
0
0
9
0
0
0
8
0
18
363
Yugambeh
0
0
18
0
0
0
0
0
18
364
Warramiri
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
0
17
365
Rirratjingu
0
0
0
0
0
0
17
0
17
366
Southwest and Central Asian Languages, nfd
8
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
17
367
Liyagawumirr
0
0
0
0
0
0
16
0
16
368
Jawoyn
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0
16
369
Yulparija
0
0
0
0
16
0
0
0
16
370
Southeast Asian Languages, nfd
3
4
4
3
3
0
0
0
16
371
Kukatha
0
0
0
11
0
0
0
0
16
372
Other Eastern Asian Languages, nfd
11
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
16
373
Marrithiyel
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
0
15
374
Wubulkarra
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
0
15
375
Arabana
0
0
0
14
0
0
0
0
15
376
Djinba, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
14
0
14
377
Larrakiya
0
0
3
0
0
0
11
0
14
378
Wergaia
0
14
0
0
0
0
0
0
14
379
Other Eastern European Languages, nec
7
3
3
0
3
0
0
0
13
380
Muruwari
3
0
0
0
11
0
0
0
12
381
Finnish and Related Languages, nec
3
3
0
3
0
0
0
0
12
382
Portuguese Creole, nfd
3
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
383
Finnish and Related Languages, nfd
9
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
11
384
Tai, nfd
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
385
Yapese
0
12
6
0
0
0
0
0
11
386
Wurlaki
0
0
0
0
0
0
13
0
10
387
Malak Malak
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
0
10
388
Wangkajunga
0
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
10
389
Other Eastern European Languages, nfd
0
0
0
3
8
0
0
0
10
390
Kuuku-Ya'u
11
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
391
Koko-Bera
0
0
6
0
0
0
0
0
10
392
Wunambal
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
9
393
Other Languages, nfd
0
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
9
394
Djinang, nec
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
8
395
Madarrpa
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
8
396
Marra
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
8
397
Dyirbal
0
0
3
0
0
0
3
0
8
398
Tjupany
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
0
8
399
Kayardild
0
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
8
400
Scandinavian, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
401
Marrangu
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
7
402
Worrorra
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
7
403
Turkic, nfd
0
0
4
3
0
0
0
0
6
404
Maringarr
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
5
405
Palyku/Nyiyaparli
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
0
5
406
Diyari
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
407
Dutch and Related Languages, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
408
Dhangu, nec
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
4
409
Eastern Anmatyerr
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
4
410
Malngin
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
4
411
Alawa
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
4
412
Githabul
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
413
South Slavic, nfd
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
414
Kanai
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
415
Keerray-Woorroong
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
416
Gurindji Kriol
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
3
417
Manyjalpingu
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
3
418
Nhangu, nec
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
3
419
Ngardi
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
3
420
Warnman
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
3
421
Other Southwest and Central Asian Languages, nec
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
422
Gudjal
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
423
Lamalama
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
424
Wangkangurru
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
425
Badimaya
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
426
Baltic, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
427
Southern European Languages, nfd
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
428
Wik Ngathan
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
Total
1,882,002
1,538,746
557,678
274,067
435,239
27,266
67,461
86,659
4,871,626
Note, English not included, Other Territories not included.
Top 35 Languages Spoken at Home ranked by Low English Proficiency.
To sort by other variables, please click on the arrow pointers at the top of the desired variable column.
Rank
Language
Well
Not Well
Total
Not Stated
Grand Total
1
Mandarin
437918
155418
593338
3372
596711
2
Vietnamese
188801
86706
275506
1896
277400
3
Cantonese
209203
70162
279361
1583
280943
4
Arabic
266667
51868
318537
3186
321728
5
Greek
197651
37619
235267
2321
237588
6
Italian
232917
34993
267910
3690
271597
7
Korean
73365
34748
108108
886
108997
8
Spanish
123821
15590
139411
1402
140817
9
Punjabi
117346
13832
131173
1315
132496
10
Other Chinese Langs
36340
13662
49999
285
50284
11
Other Indian Langs
124818
12810
137627
988
138617
12
Thai
43256
11664
54922
526
55444
13
Turkish
47044
10744
57785
571
58355
14
Persian (excluding Dari)
47176
10643
57824
489
58313
15
Macedonian
54777
10508
65286
733
66019
16
Serbian
44227
9036
53260
541
53801
17
Japanese
46922
8612
55539
431
55966
18
Hindi
150753
7621
158375
1273
159652
19
Russian
42434
7554
49984
334
50314
20
Croatian
49017
7273
56293
598
56885
21
Aust Indigenous Langs
55371
7189
62558
2204
64762
22
Tamil
65942
6649
72591
577
73161
23
Urdu
62587
5995
68578
714
69293
24
Indonesian
61513
5870
67387
502
67891
25
Tagalog/Filipino
175204
5537
180741
1756
182493
26
Polish
42540
5094
47631
448
48083
27
Bengali
50019
4199
54215
353
54566
28
Samoan
40466
3572
44039
826
44869
29
Sinhalese
60859
3321
64177
436
64612
30
French
67221
2983
70206
668
70873
31
Maltese
29272
2266
31539
446
31987
32
German
76191
2262
78456
900
79353
33
Other SE Asian Langs
26819
1987
28803
269
29073
34
Dutch
32675
774
33451
383
33835
35
Afrikaans
42802
656
43460
287
43741
Total
4,009,194
810,002
4,819,194
52,448
4,871,647
Note: top 35 language groups shown. Total all non-English includes all languages other than English.
Top 50 Countries of Birth by Age.
Rank
Country
0-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-69
70+
Total
1
Australia
2620528
2274553
2097998
1893951
1988729
3327196
1411877
15614834
2
England
22017
46704
54918
80365
137572
356337
209667
907568
3
New Zealand
24330
49909
75321
88078
96574
149542
34707
518462
4
China (excl SARs and Taiwan)
11312
42059
156460
98709
64394
105610
31016
509558
5
India
24438
27431
101364
170120
59300
53928
18802
455385
6
Philippines
9610
23487
31583
53385
46779
59247
8296
232391
7
Vietnam
3501
8956
28129
40750
50863
73570
13577
219351
8
Italy
952
1405
6759
7513
7597
61701
88117
174042
9
South Africa
5233
17952
21807
26778
36631
42155
11884
162450
10
Malaysia
4303
10193
26374
28396
20896
38078
10132
138363
11
Scotland
1910
4368
5665
10162
15937
49841
31539
119416
12
Sri Lanka
3838
7342
14947
26536
20123
28144
8921
109850
13
Germany
1061
2723
6143
9858
10773
38148
33883
102594
14
Korea, Republic of (South)
3286
8140
23690
27565
18089
14627
3378
98775
15
Greece
772
1586
1746
2512
4635
31955
50545
93740
16
Hong Kong (SAR of China)
2393
5922
18338
16871
10700
28474
4197
86886
17
United States of America
7078
10252
12985
15090
12971
22054
5690
86126
18
Lebanon
833
1964
5645
11593
16668
31880
10062
78649
19
Ireland
3156
3018
9975
19590
10788
17726
10631
74891
20
Indonesia
2267
6171
15167
19709
12508
13065
4326
73218
21
Netherlands
756
1492
2177
3666
5576
28242
28259
70172
22
Iraq
3001
6523
12607
13596
13222
14852
3540
67353
23
Thailand
3518
7522
13527
21486
11048
8392
731
66228
24
Pakistan
5727
5694
17608
18756
7530
5857
730
61918
25
Fiji
795
2860
6180
14175
13146
19737
4575
61472
26
Iran
2685
5026
8636
20300
8911
9906
2653
58112
27
Singapore
3391
6183
10838
8599
8983
13859
3087
54934
28
Nepal
1483
3757
25633
18491
3512
1726
153
54757
29
Taiwan
1223
1968
16154
14513
4902
7093
966
46822
30
Afghanistan
1602
5504
14147
11487
7306
5905
841
46799
31
Poland
295
516
1958
7451
5553
17932
11668
45370
32
Croatia
108
226
1921
2823
4059
18289
16259
43687
33
Canada
2041
2741
6660
9590
8462
10787
2774
43053
34
Japan
2289
3575
6468
10823
10550
7136
1585
42420
35
Bangladesh
2000
2342
9544
16026
6572
4456
284
41237
36
Egypt
1480
2762
2458
5634
3875
13903
9667
39776
37
The FYR of Macedonia
154
463
1764
3894
5624
18701
8386
38986
38
Malta
61
174
327
770
1425
18779
16078
37609
39
Zimbabwe
549
3685
5062
7075
7869
9270
1276
34789
40
Cambodia
515
1346
4001
6736
7412
10697
2440
33152
41
Myanmar
639
2868
6545
7247
5651
7206
2506
32656
42
Turkey
470
830
2569
5167
8097
11597
3443
32183
43
France
1008
1606
6636
7234
4816
6928
2889
31120
44
Papua New Guinea
730
2506
2538
4116
8781
8689
1436
28803
45
Wales
490
1284
1913
3021
4626
10589
6130
28046
46
Brazil
626
1189
8103
11636
3516
2163
394
27625
47
Chile
298
584
1954
4395
5245
9739
3870
26082
48
Mauritius
272
1158
2878
4910
3116
8627
3367
24324
49
Samoa
568
1838
2705
4060
5465
8148
1229
24016
50
Bosnia and Herzegovina
72
347
3423
4326
3922
8982
2871
23959
Note: Total All Countries include all countries of birth (not just the top 50).
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Status by Age and Gender.
0-4
5-14
15-24
25-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Total
Males
37,768
75,292
63,283
78,788
31,654
21,446
13942
322173
Females
35,496
71,836
60,428
82,471
35,762
23,995
17012
327000
Total
73,265
147,133
123,718
161,256
67,415
45,438
30,952
649,177
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will be making more data available via Table Builder next week. And even more data will be released in October.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment or email us from the contact page!
The top languages spoken in Australia confirms our changing diversity.
The Australian population as at the 2016 Census was 23.4m people, compared to 21.5m in 2011, up 8.8%. The 2016 Census data released today confirms the changing face of Australia. Italian, is now the fifth most spoken language, other than English. It was number one at the 2006 Census and number two in 2011.
One in five Australians now speak a language other than English at home.
Growth in Asian and Indian languages are obvious. The most dramatic is Mandarin, now almost double the next largest language group, Arabic. Mandarin has grown by over 170% in the decade to 2016. The total number of Chinese speakers (Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu and others) now exceed 927,000 (our earlier prediction of 1m was pretty close!).
The growth is even more obvious when we graphed the growth (or decline) of the top 5 languages spoken in Australia.
Languages other than English spoken at home, 2016 Census.
You’ll hear dramatic stats about the number of people born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas. This is potentially misleading because it includes those born in the UK, NZ, USA and other English speaking countries.
If you’re looking at targeting people from different cultures who might speak other languages then the table below might be more relevant.
The number of people who speak a language other than English at home has increased by almost 1 million to 4.9m, which is 20.8% of the Australian population. The number of people with low English proficiency has also jumped to almost 820,000.
IDENTITY Communications are predicting the multicultural marketing industry in Australia will change dramatically in 2017. Here’s why.
We’re not talking about terminology and semantics which have changed over time such as NESB (non-English speaking background) and LOTE (languages other than English) being replaced by CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse), refugee with asylum seeker, ethnic marketing with multicultural marketing.
Beyond descriptors, we believe there are five key trends in multicultural marketing that will change the industry forever. And it will happen in 2017.
1. Census 2016 The multicultural industry relies on Census data to quantify the size of the opportunity. Size and English language proficiency are two data points referenced frequently by multicultural agencies. While Census 2016 isn’t in itself a trend – it’s the trend in the data that will make a big splash.
We predict when the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases the full 2016 Census data on 27 June, the multicultural opportunity will be more compelling than ever before. We’re predicting it will show the Chinese speaking community in Australia will pass 1 million people for the first time and that Mandarin, followed by Cantonese, will be the two most spoken languages in Australia (other than English). Our modelling suggests Australia’s population will increase by 11% between the 2011 and 2016 Censuses, however, the China-born population will increase by 90% during the same period.
2. Data, Insights & Strategy While Census 2016 will help multicultural marketing agencies get in front of the client, the general lack of CALD data and insights to inform strategy will continue to be a major set-back. Roy Morgan, with relatively small migrant sample sizes, is of limited help. There are still no independent media consumption data sources for in-language print, radio and TV (most print publications are not audited) and consumer insight research is severely lacking for CALD audiences.
Similarly, it’s not enough to respond to a client brief with a media schedule. Those days are over. Clients expect data, insights and strategic thinking to inform the agency’s recommendations.
Multicultural marketing is more than translation and agencies that invest in data, insights and build up their strategic offering will gain a significant competitive advantage.
3. Collaboration & Consolidation
Multicultural agencies have tended to work independently of ‘mainstream’ media and creative agencies. That’s another agency in addition to media, creative, digital, PR, social and search agencies for a time-poor client to manage. There’s been a trend back to the full service agency model, and we believe it will impact the multicultural marketing sector. Multicultural agencies that understand how mainstream agencies work and can collaborate seamlessly, will reap the rewards. Similarly multicultural agencies that are part of a larger mainstream marketing communications group will benefit by being a part of that group’s comprehensive offering.
4. Shift from Traditional Media The shift from in-language traditional media to digital, social and mobile is on. It’s no longer enough to spend the bulk of a client’s budget on ethnic print or radio channels. And increasingly, it’s not enough to recommend a couple of Facebook and WeChat posts as add-on. Programmatic, data, retargeting, building ‘look alike’ audiences, community management, influencer marketing, search and SEO are expertise that will distinguish successful multicultural marketing agencies from the also-rans.
5. Multicultural is dated? Just as multicultural replaced ethnic, CALD replaced NESB, there’s an argument that multicultural is an out-dated concept. Supporters of the change argue that multicultural often refers to different ethnic backgrounds, but if we’re talking about embracing diversity what about sexual orientation, indigenous, age, ability, etc. In California, Latinos have outnumbered Whites since 2015 – what’s multicultural and what’s mainstream in this context? Rather than differentiating with multicultural, should we not look at cultural marketing that recognises similarities and differences? Some say polyculturalism should replace multiculturalism.
Whatever term we’ll end up using in the future, the undeniable truth is that cultural diversity is here to stay and clients are looking to their agencies for effective strategies to reach this valuable and growing market.
Thoughts?
That’s our view. Do you agree? Are there any other trends in multicultural marketing that you’ve picked up? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Over the years, so many “facts” have been casually dropped about Australia’s migrant population that are just wrong.
Here’s a quick guide that might come in handy at the water cooler or BBQ stopper (with the help of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census).
All Arabic speakers come from the Middle East
Wrong. Two in five (41 per cent) of Arabic speakers were born in Australia, while the next largest countries of birth for Arabic speakers are Lebanon (23 per cent) followed by Iraq (9 per cent).
All Arabic speakers are Muslims
While 52 per cent of Arabic speakers in Australia nominated Islam as their religion in the last Census, 42 per cent practised Christianity. And I have it on good authority that all Muslims aren’t terrorists. If we’re talking about the proportion of communities who nominated their faith as Islam then some of the highest proportions are Urdu speakers (96 per cent) and Turkish (88 per cent).
Cantonese = Traditional Chinese, Mandarin = Simplified Chinese
It’s a rough rule of thumb, but it’s wrong. In the 1950s, China “simplified” the written characters by reducing the number of strokes used. Given Mandarin is the official language of China, many equate Mandarin with Simplified Chinese.
That would ignore people from Taiwan who speak Mandarin and still use Traditional Chinese characters and the Mandarin-speaking diaspora who still use traditional characters. In Australia, over 90 per cent of the print publications are in Traditional Chinese with Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking readership.
The misunderstanding arises because the majority of Cantonese speakers are assumed to come from Hong Kong and they use traditional Chinese characters. In fact, according to the Australian Census, a quarter of those born in China, speak Cantonese — that means they speak Cantonese and use simplified Chinese.
Fact: Cantonese and Mandarin are spoken forms of Chinese, traditional or simplified Chinese are written forms. There isn’t a one-to-one correlation between the written and spoken Chinese. And while I’m at it, Mandarin and Cantonese aren’t the only languages spoken by Chinese Australians; there are more than 51,000 people in Australia who speak other Chinese languages including Min Nan, Hakka and Wu.
All people from India speak Hindi
English is the most spoken language in the home for Indian-born Australians (28 per cent) closely followed by Hindi (26 per cent) and Punjabi (25 per cent) and Malayalam (9 per cent).
Italians live in Leichhardt
Wrong. Leichhardt’s postcode, 2040 ranks 8thfor Italian speakers in NSW. The top three postcodes are 2046 (Canada Bay), 2176 (Bossley Park, Edensor Park) and 2770 (Liverpool).
Twenty-five per cent of Australians were born overseas
Technically, it’s correct, but often used in the wrong context. According to the last Australian Census (2011), 5,284,502 Australians were born overseas, making up 25 per cent of the Australian population. But that includes Australians born in the UK, USA, Canada and NZ. Factually correct if that’s disclosed, but when used to support translating communications to migrants, it’s misleading (unless you have the urge to translate into Gaelic).
If we just looked at people who spoke a language other than English at home, the figure is 18 per cent. Not inflated but still respectable.
Forty-three per cent have one parent or both parents born overseas
Again, huge number but it’s misleading for the same reason.
There are so many rational reasons why marketers and governments should be communicating with Australia’s diverse population. But those reasons should be grounded in appropriate facts.