Abbreviated as ENGLP; referenced by 2 other explainers
Proficiency in English shows how well people born overseas speak English. It uses the groups the Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes: speaks English only, speaks English very well or well, speaks English not well or not at all, proficiency not stated, and language and proficiency not stated.
The figures come from Census data. The Australian Bureau of Statistics collects them.
English proficiency is self-assessed. Each person rates their own spoken English on the Census form. It is not tested or marked. It is not a measure of intelligence, education, or worth. Many people who speak English not well or not at all read and write another language well, and many are early in their time in Australia.
This page shows spoken English at one point in time. Proficiency changes as people settle, work, and study. Read it as a guide to where translated information and interpreter services may help, not as a judgement about a person or a community.
The two not stated groups mean the form did not give enough to place the person. They are a form fact, not a fact about the person.
The base count here is people born overseas, not everyone in the area. People born in Australia are not on this page. To weigh this against the whole area, read it with the population pages, the Birthplace marker, and the Language used at home marker.
Other providers group these into fewer bands. The figures reconcile; the grouping differs.
The total counts people at their usual place of residence. It covers people in non-private homes such as hospitals, aged-care homes, hostels, and student housing. It does not count overseas visitors.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics tweaks small-area counts to keep people safe, which can hide small cells. This is called perturbation.
Place Forecast splits each SA1 figure down to mesh blocks and sums them back to the area you see, so the small-area view is downscaled. The cultural diversity downscaling glossary explains the method and its limits.
Each group at the LGA level matches the ABS figure. This is LGA anchoring.
For service choices about one community, read small-area figures as patterns, not exact counts. Validate against on-the-ground knowledge from community organisations before drawing conclusions.