Census 2021: Punjabi bags '5th' position among most spoken languages in Australia

Punjabi ranks 5th position in most spoken language: In Australia, Punjabi has risen to the top five languages from the top ten in the 2016 census to the top five in 2021.

More than 239,000 Australians now speak it at home, a rise of more than 80% from the 132,496 recorded in 2016; it is the language that is expanding the quickest in Australia.

According to recent Census data, more than half of Australians are first- or second-generation migrants, with India moving up to the third-largest country of birth. Punjabi is currently the fifth most often spoken language at home, and Punjabi speakers make up the largest group of Indian migrants to Australia.

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Furthermore, since 2016, there has been a significant surge of 80% among Punjabi-speakers in Australia. Indian-origin language is spoken at home by just over 367,000 Australians. Particularly noteworthy was the fact that the 2021 census data included data on 350 languages and more than 250 ancestries.

Mandarin (2.7%), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%), and Punjabi are the top 5 languages spoken at home, followed by English (0.9 per cent).

The numbers for Punjabi speakers in Australia, broken down by state, are shown below.

Victoria- 104,949

NSW- 53,460

Queensland- 30,873

Western Australia– 20,613

South Australia- 20,004

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)- 5,019

Tasmania- 2,556

Northern Territory-1,563

Data indicate that New South Wales and Victoria are the two states where the majority of Punjabi speakers reside in Australia.

India bags third largest country of birth

According to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on Monday, India has surpassed China and New Zealand to move up to the third-largest country of birth, behind Australia and England. According to the most recent census, there were an additional 220,000 persons who claimed to be Indian-born. Additionally, in 2016, the year of the last census, more than a million people immigrated to Australia.

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