Tagalog
188 speakers
Tagalog is spoken by 188 of our residents at home, 0.6% of Western Downs.
We are Western Downs
3 per cent.
3 in every 100 Western Downs residents speak a language other than English at home. 1,153 people, in 55 languages — small enough to be overlooked, large enough to be a community.
- Our population
- 33,495
- Speak another language
- 1,153
- Languages at home
- 55
- Growth since last census
- +26.8%
Most of us speak English at home. 1,153 of us do not, across 55 languages, most often Tagalog, Filipino and Spanish. Small communities are the ones a mainstream service misses first and notices last — which is the whole reason to count them.
In Queensland
#47
of 76 Queensland councils for the share of residents speaking a language other than English at home. #325 of 540 nationally.
What makes our community ours
Filipino
169 speakers
Filipino is spoken by 169 of our residents at home, 0.5% of Western Downs.
Spanish
135 speakers
Spanish is spoken by 135 of our residents at home, 0.4% of Western Downs.
The languages of Western Downs
55 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
3.4% of us
We share this portrait because a council below the Queensland average is the one most likely to be planned for as though everybody here reads English. 1,153 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
6.5% of us were born overseas, across 52 countries.
- 01Philippines483+17.8%
- 02New Zealand434-2.3%
- 03England406+13.4%
- 04South Africa172+11.7%
- 05India104-17.5%
- 06Argentina84
- 07Germany37-27.5%
- 08France34+750%
- 09Zimbabwe33-5.7%
- 10Ireland29-50.0%
What we believe
Reported affiliation in Western Downs at the 2021 Census, with the change since 2016.
- 01Christianity19,147-16.1%
- 02No religion or secular beliefs10,353+78.5%
- 03Buddhism89-12.7%
- 04Hinduism85-23.4%
- 05Islam61-6.2%
- 06Judaism0-100%
Our suburbs
Our linguistic character changes street by street. Click through to any of our 39 suburbs for its own portrait: the languages spoken there, the communities calling it home.
- WandoanTop language — Malay9%41
- GoranbaTop language — Romanian8%22
- WoleebeeTop language — Spanish8%31
- MacalisterTop language — Filipino8%25
- MilesTop language — Filipino6%103
- ChinchillaTop language — Spanish4%314
- Jimbour EastTop language — Filipino4%13
- DalbyTop language — Tagalog4%492
- DulaccaTop language — German4%10
- KaimkillenbunTop language — Filipino4%9
- Tara (Qld)Top language — Romanian3%62
- Bell (Qld)Top language — Filipino3%10
- PirrinuanTop language — Portuguese1%4
- CanagaTop language — Czech1%4
- BrigalowTop language — Tagalog1%4
- KoganTop language — Welsh1%3
- CondamineTop language — Afrikaans1%3
- CrossroadsTop language — Afrikaans1%3
- Jandowae0%0
- Red Hill (Western Downs - Qld)0%0
- Meandarra0%0
- The Gums0%0
- Dalwogon0%0
- Bundi0%0
- Southwood0%0
- Auburn (Qld)0%0
- Moola0%0
- Tuckerang0%0
- Moonie0%0
- Drillham0%0
- Kumbarilla0%0
- Warra0%0
- Nandi0%0
- St Ruth0%0
- Diamondy0%0
- Weranga0%0
- Bungaban0%0
- Ducklo0%0
- Halliford0%0
- 39 suburbs in Western Downs. Percentage is residents speaking a language other than English at home; the figure beneath it is how many people that is.
Where we are
Western Downs 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
- Western Downs
- 3.4%
- Queensland
- 12.2%
- Australia
- 21.3%
3.4% of Western Downs residents speak a language other than English at home, against 12.2% for Queensland 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. 3.4% is 1,153 residents as a share of all 33,495 of us. A further 3,326 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 13.4%, which is a larger number and a weaker claim. Measured only across the residents who answered, the share is 3.8%. If you have seen a higher figure quoted for Western Downs, 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 Western Downs 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 Western Downs.