The line graph gives detailed information about the number of people whose first languages are Chinese, Arabic, Italian, and Greek lived in Australia over a 25-year period from 1986 to 2011
Overall, it is clear that there was an upward trend in the number of Chinese and Arabic speakers while reverse was true for Italians and Greeks.
Italian and Greek speakers showed decreases in figures. Greeks started as the largest group at slightly over 220 000, but saw a continuous decline to just under 190 000 in 2011. Similarly, in 1986, Italian speakers fell from 150 000 to 105000 by 2006, then remained stable until 2011.
By contrast, Chinese and Arabic speakers increased over the years. Arabic were the smallest group at the beginning, with 50 000 speakers but then the figure for Arabic speakers rose consistently, reaching 150000 in 2011. Despite starting as the second lowest figure, with 100000 in 1986, the number of Chinese speakers experienced a consistent rise to 350000, surpassing all other categories by 2011.