Italian
21 speakers
Italian is spoken by 21 of our residents at home, 0.2% of Forbes.
We are Forbes
2 per cent.
2 in every 100 Forbes residents speak a language other than English at home. 181 people, in 29 languages — small enough to be overlooked, large enough to be a community.
- Our population
- 9,532
- Speak another language
- 181
- Languages at home
- 29
- Growth since last census
- +9.0%
Most of us speak English at home. 181 of us do not, across 29 languages, most often Italian, Malayalam and Cantonese. 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
#107
of 128 New South Wales councils for the share of residents speaking a language other than English at home. #458 of 540 nationally.
What makes our community ours
Malayalam
21 speakers
Malayalam is spoken by 21 of our residents at home, 0.2% of Forbes.
Cantonese
14 speakers
Cantonese is spoken by 14 of our residents at home, 0.1% of Forbes.
The languages of Forbes
29 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
1.9% 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. 181 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
3.2% of us were born overseas, across 25 countries.
- 01England78-9.3%
- 02New Zealand52+79.3%
- 03Philippines25-24.2%
- 04India24+33.3%
- 05Italy18-5.3%
- 06China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)150%
- 07South Africa14+75.0%
- 08Nepal13+85.7%
- 09Scotland13-13.3%
- 10Sri Lanka12+300%
What we believe
Reported affiliation in Forbes at the 2021 Census, with the change since 2016.
- 01Christianity6,162-14.3%
- 02No religion or secular beliefs2,415+61.2%
- 03Buddhism32+146%
- 04Hinduism22+46.7%
- 05Islam0-100%
Our suburbs
Our linguistic character changes street by street. Click through to any of our 9 suburbs for its own portrait: the languages spoken there, the communities calling it home.
- MulyandryTop language — German3%10
- BedgerabongTop language — Filipino3%5
- Forbes (NSW)Top language — Malayalam2%162
- Corinella (NSW)Top language — French1%4
- Gunning Gap0%0
- Wirrinya0%0
- Cookamidgera0%0
- Daroobalgie0%0
- Ootha0%0
- 9 suburbs in Forbes. Percentage is residents speaking a language other than English at home; the figure beneath it is how many people that is.
Where we are
Forbes 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
- Forbes
- 1.9%
- New South Wales
- 25.7%
- Australia
- 21.3%
1.9% of Forbes 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. 1.9% is 181 residents as a share of all 9,532 of us. A further 786 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 10.1%, which is a larger number and a weaker claim. Measured only across the residents who answered, the share is 2.1%. If you have seen a higher figure quoted for Forbes, 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 Forbes 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 Forbes.