NSW is the most diverse state in Australia. The demographic information below highlights the diversity of the NSW population.
Languages Spoken in NSW
There are 290 different languages spoken by people living in NSW. A quarter of the NSW population speak a language other than English at home. The top five languages other than English spoken across the state are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Greek.
Top ten languages other than English spoken in NSW
| Language |
Number of people |
Percentage |
| Mandarin |
239,947 |
3.2% |
| Arabic |
200,828 |
2.7% |
| Cantonese |
143,338 |
1.9% |
| Vietnamese |
102,896 |
1.4% |
| Greek |
81,685 |
1.1% |
| Italian |
75,697 |
1% |
| Hindi |
67,037 |
0.9% |
| Spanish |
63,523 |
0.8% |
| Korean |
59,914 |
0.8% |
| Tagalog |
45,133 |
0.6% |
| Total speaking language other than English |
1,882,015 |
25.16% |
Country of Birth
More than a quarter (27.6%) of people living in NSW were born outside of Australia. The top five countries of birth apart from Australia were China, England, India, New Zealand and the Philippines. Around 22% of the population of NSW was born in countries where English is not the main language spoken.
Top ten countries of birth other than Australia in NSW
| Country |
Number of people |
Percentage |
| China |
234,506 |
3.1% |
| England |
226,561 |
3% |
| India |
143,459 |
1.9% |
| New Zealand |
117,138 |
1.6% |
| Philippines |
86,752 |
1.2% |
| Vietnam |
84,129 |
1.1% |
| Lebanon |
57,375 |
0.8% |
| Korea, South |
51,817 |
0.7% |
| Italy |
49,474 |
0.7% |
| South Africa |
43,059 |
0.6% |
| Total born outside Australia |
2,072,454 |
27.6% |
Statistics presented here are derived from: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Census of Population and Housing 2016 Table Builder. Available at: http://abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/Home/2016%20TableBuilder
For further information download our NSW Demographic Fact sheet (Pdf 334.24KB)
Detailed community profiles are available from Multicultural NSW.