The graph illustrates the number of Australian residents who spoke Chinese,Arabic,Italian and Greek as their first language between1986 and 2011.
Overall,Arabic and Chinese language increased during this period,while Greek and Italian languages decreased.
In 1986, Italian was the most widely spoken language, with around 400,000 speakers, followed by Greek at roughly 250,000. However, both languages experienced a continuous downward trend. By 2011, Italian fell to about 200,000, and Greek dropped even further to approximately 150,000 speakers.
In contrast, Chinese speakers rose sharply. Starting from just under 100,000 in 1986, the number increased consistently and reached almost 400,000 in 2011, making it the most spoken language by the end of the period. Arabic speakers also grew steadily from around 50,000 to nearly 200,000 over the same 25 years.
Overall, the data shows a significant shift in Australia’s linguistic landscape, with Asian languages becoming more dominant, while European languages substantially declined.
