Notes on the data: Birthplace & Non-English-speaking residents

People aged 5 years and over who were born overseas and reported poor proficiency in English, 2021

Policy context: For migrants born in predominantly non-English-speaking countries, the rate at which they adapt to live in the host country is directly related to the rate at which they achieve proficiency in English. Their proficiency in English has profound implications for the ease with which they are able to access labour markets, develop social networks, become aware of and utilise services, and participate in many aspects of Australian society. Those people who are not proficient in spoken English are less likely to be in full-time employment and more likely not to be in the labour force [1]. From a health service viewpoint, the location of this population group is most relevant in the provision of health services for women, and for older people, who may not have developed English language skills (especially females), or have returned to using the language of their birthplace as they have aged (both females and males).

In Australia, there were over 350 separately identified languages spoken at home in 2021. While English remained the main language spoken, Census data showed that more than one-fifth (21.7%) of Australians spoke a language other than English at home. The most commonly spoken languages were Mandarin (2.7% of the total population), Arabic (1.4 per cent), Vietnamese (1.3 per cent), Cantonese (1.2 per cent) and Punjabi (0.9 per cent) [2].

Of the overseas-born people who had arrived in in 2005, or later, 10.9% either did not speak English well, or at all in 2021. For earlier migrants (those arriving before 2005) this number was lower, at 9.0%. Of those aged 65 years and over, the proportion was higher, at 17.1%, increasing from 15.3% at ages 65 to 74 years, to 17.1% at ages 75 to 84 years and to 25.0% at ages 85 years and over [3].

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Perspectives on migrants, 2007. (ABS Cat. no. 3416.0). Canberra: ABS; 2008.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Cultural diversity: Census 2021. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/cultural-diversity-census/latest-release; accessed 25 August 2022
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2021 Census of Population and Housing General community profile Australia Canberra ABS 2022. Available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/census/guide-census-data/about-census-tools/community-profiles; accessed 25 August 2022

Notes: The data comprise people born overseas who reported speaking English 'not well' or 'not at all'.

In the data workbooks, the numerator excludes the 0.8% of the population (this percentage varies across States/Territories) aged five years and over born overseas who did not state their language (other than English) spoken, or their proficiency in English: however, these records are included in the denominator.

Geography: Data available by Population Health Area, Local Government Area, Primary Health Network, Quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area and Quintiles within PHNs, and Remoteness Area

Numerator: People aged 5 years and over who were born overseas and reported speaking English 'not well' or 'not at all'

Denominator: Population aged 5 years and over

Detail of analysis: Percent

Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on the ABS Census of Population and Housing, August 2021.