Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages spoken

Valuing diversity, belonging and culture

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Release date and time
15/09/2025 11:30am AEST

Released 15/09/2025

Metric

Number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who speak an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home

Why this matters

Speaking an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language improves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s wellbeing by making their connection to family, community and country stronger.

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap recognises the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages which are strong, supported and flourishing. Under the Agreement, by 2031, there should be a sustained increase in number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken.

Progress

In the 2021 Census, 76,978 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reported using an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home, up from 63,754 people in 2016 and 49,764 people in 2001. 

As a proportion, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who reported using an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home has decreased over the past 20 years, from 12.1% in 2001 to 9.5% in 2021. 

This decline is due to growth in people identifying as having Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin outpacing growth in people using an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language. 

The 2021 Census reported over 150 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages in the Australian Standard Classification of Languages that were actively used, 19 of which were used by over 1,000 people.

Nationally in 2022-23, about 150,900, or one in six (16%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged two years or over were learning an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language, according to National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey data reported in the Closing the Gap dashboard.

  1. In the 2021 Census, the question ‘Does the person use a language other than English at home’ was amended to include the word ‘use’ rather than ‘speak’ to better accommodate members of the community who use sign language. For more information, see Language used at home (LANP) in the 2021 Census Dictionary.
Data Source
ABS Language Statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Differences across groups

In 2021, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who reported using an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home was:

  • 21,592 (8.1%) for children aged 0-14 years
  • 13,936 (9.3%) for people aged 15-24 years
  • 22,972 (11.2%) for people aged 25-44 years
  • 14,595 (10.2%) for people aged 45-64 years
  • 3,883 (8.1%) for people aged 65 years and over.

Disaggregation

Further information on the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who use an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home is available via the links below. 

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who use an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home: ABS Language Statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Disaggregation available includes:

  • Age group
  • Indigenous status
  • Selected geographies.

ABS Language Statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples also contains information about ABS sources that collect data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and the different language topics available.

Outcome 16 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap is ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages are strong, supported and flourishing'. This outcome is accompanied by target 16: ‘By 2031, there is a sustained increase in number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken’.

The target is measured using the National Indigenous Languages Surveys (NILS) and the National Indigenous Language Report (NILR) and is reported on in the Closing the Gap Information Repository. There are also currently three supporting indicators with data for this target, which are measured using the NILS, the Census, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey and the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts’ SmartyGrants grants management system.