German
178 speakers
German is spoken by 178 of our residents at home, 0.4% of Ballina.
We are Ballina
4 per cent.
4 in every 100 Ballina residents speak a language other than English at home. 1,874 people, in 72 languages — small enough to be overlooked, large enough to be a community.
- Our population
- 46,111
- Speak another language
- 1,874
- Languages at home
- 72
- Growth since last census
- +54.5%
Most of us speak English at home. 1,874 of us do not, across 72 languages, most often German, French and Portuguese. Small communities are the ones a mainstream service misses first and notices last — which is the whole reason to count them.
In New South Wales
#60
of 128 New South Wales councils for the share of residents speaking a language other than English at home. #294 of 540 nationally.
What makes our community ours
French
144 speakers
French is spoken by 144 of our residents at home, 0.3% of Ballina.
Portuguese
139 speakers
Portuguese is spoken by 139 of our residents at home, 0.3% of Ballina.
The languages of Ballina
72 languages carry the conversation at home. Every one of them is spoken here.
Each block below is scaled to the number of people who speak that language at home, and tinted by how fast that community has grown since the last census.
- Grew 50%+
- 25%+
- 10%+
- Held
- Slipped
- Declined 10%+
- Not comparable
Every language, in order
Speakers at the 2021 Census, with the change since 2016. Broader ABS categories such as “Chinese, nfd” are counted in our totals but left out of this list, so the percentages can exceed the sum of the languages shown.
Why we publish this
4.1% of us
We share this portrait because a council below the New South Wales average is the one most likely to be planned for as though everybody here reads English. 1,874 of us do not, at home, and a service that reaches everyone except them has not reached everyone. This almanac exists so that the number is on the record before the decision is made.
Who we are, beyond language
Where we were born
10.6% of us were born overseas, across 70 countries.
- 01England1,706+18.7%
- 02New Zealand784+16.7%
- 03South Africa251+29.4%
- 04United States of America224+113%
- 05India189+92.9%
- 06Scotland154+28.3%
- 07Germany143+31.2%
- 08Philippines122+31.2%
- 09Netherlands117-4.9%
- 10Thailand112+187%
What we believe
Reported affiliation in Ballina at the 2021 Census, with the change since 2016.
- 01Christianity22,138-6.9%
- 02No religion or secular beliefs19,954+54.3%
- 03Buddhism453-5.4%
- 04Hinduism145+81.3%
- 05Judaism64+129%
- 06Islam59+15.7%
Our suburbs
Our linguistic character changes street by street. Click through to any of our 29 suburbs for its own portrait: the languages spoken there, the communities calling it home.
- Cabbage Tree Island (Ballina - NSW)10%9
- Lynwood (NSW)Top language — German8%17
- RousTop language — Dutch6%14
- CumbalumTop language — German6%130
- BallinaTop language — Punjabi5%497
- Lennox HeadTop language — German5%402
- UralbaTop language — Japanese5%12
- WollongbarTop language — Spanish5%149
- TintenbarTop language — Korean4%21
- Pearces CreekTop language — Filipino4%11
- TevenTop language — Dutch4%11
- KnockrowTop language — Japanese4%7
- Dalwood (Ballina - NSW)Top language — Afrikaans4%9
- KinvaraTop language — Thai4%11
- Skennars HeadTop language — French4%47
- Keith HallTop language — Filipino3%6
- Pimlico (NSW)Top language — Finnish3%16
- WardellTop language — Bandjalang3%34
- East BallinaTop language — German3%181
- BrookletTop language — French3%7
- AlstonvilleTop language — Spanish3%160
- East WardellTop language — Bislama3%10
- NewrybarTop language — Punjabi2%13
- West BallinaTop language — Vietnamese2%80
- TuckombilTop language — Vietnamese2%6
- Rous MillTop language — Afrikaans2%3
- AlstonvaleTop language — Greek1%5
- FernleighTop language — Italian1%3
- Meerschaum ValeTop language — French1%3
- 29 suburbs in Ballina. Percentage is residents speaking a language other than English at home; the figure beneath it is how many people that is.
Where we are
Ballina shaded by the share of residents speaking a language other than English at home. Boundaries are ABS ASGS 2021. See every council on one map.
In context
- Ballina
- 4.1%
- New South Wales
- 25.7%
- Australia
- 21.3%
4.1% of Ballina residents speak a language other than English at home, against 25.7% for New South Wales and 21.3% nationally. Drawn from the 2021 Census.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021, language used at home by Statistical Area Level 2, aggregated to Local Government Area. Growth compares 2021 against the 2016 Census.
How the headline share is counted. 4.1% is 1,874 residents as a share of all 46,111 of us. A further 2,539 did not state a language at all, and we do not count them as speaking one — counting every non-response as a non-English speaker would put this figure at 9.6%, which is a larger number and a weaker claim. Measured only across the residents who answered, the share is 4.3%. If you have seen a higher figure quoted for Ballina, it is almost certainly one of those two.
Two further caveats we would rather state than bury. Summing suburbs omits residents not allocated to one — no usual address, migratory and unincorporated areas — so national totals sit a little under the ABS published figures; the Ballina figures on this page are unaffected. And ranked language lists exclude ABS residual categories such as “Chinese, nfd”, which are not languages anyone can order a translation in; they remain inside the headline total.
Need this community reached in its own languages? Talk to us about translation in Ballina.