Melbourne suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
Doncaster East has the highest share, at 13.5% of residents. Doncaster and Box Hill follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 217 eligible Melbourne suburbs.
This page ranks Melbourne suburbs by the share of residents who speak Cantonese at home in the 2021 Census — where the Cantonese-speaking community is most concentrated. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.
Shares are the count of Melbourne residents who speak Cantonese at home divided by the suburb's total population, from the ABS 2021 Census language table — the same source as each suburb page's language breakdown. Percentile ranks are computed within Melbourne's pool. Language spoken at home understates a community's full size — it misses Cantonese-heritage residents who speak mainly English at home — but it's the cleanest signal of an active community. Descriptive demographic information, not a recommendation.
Melbourne suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
Ranked by the share of residents who speak Cantonese at home in the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents — where the Cantonese-speaking community is most established.
Doncaster East
VIC 3109 · 30,926 residents13.5% of residents · 4,187 speakers
Doncaster
VIC 3108 · 25,020 residents10.6% of residents · 2,645 speakers
Box Hill
VIC 3128 · 14,353 residents8.5% of residents · 1,223 speakers
Glen Waverley
VIC 3150 · 42,642 residents8.0% of residents · 3,430 speakers
Donvale
VIC 3111 · 12,644 residents7.6% of residents · 966 speakers
Wantirna South
VIC 3152 · 20,754 residents7.4% of residents · 1,542 speakers
Forest Hill
VIC 3131 · 10,780 residents7.2% of residents · 778 speakers
Box Hill North
VIC 3129 · 12,337 residents6.9% of residents · 848 speakers
Balwyn North
VIC 3104 · 21,302 residents6.8% of residents · 1,448 speakers
Templestowe
VIC 3106 · 16,966 residents6.7% of residents · 1,139 speakers
Balwyn
VIC 3103 · 13,495 residents6.6% of residents · 897 speakers
Vermont South
VIC 3133 · 11,954 residents6.4% of residents · 767 speakers
Burwood East
VIC 3151 · 10,675 residents6.3% of residents · 673 speakers
Springvale
VIC 3171 · 22,174 residents6.3% of residents · 1,393 speakers
Blackburn North
VIC 3130 · 7,627 residents6.3% of residents · 477 speakers
Ranked from 217 qualifying suburbs.
100% share of residents who speak this language at home in the 2021 Census (speakers divided by the suburb's total population), percentile-ranked within Melbourne's candidate pool. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents qualify, and the larger absolute number of speakers breaks ties. Language spoken at home understates a community's full size but is the cleanest signal of an active community. Descriptive ABS Census data, not a recommendation. See how we calculate for the full methodology.
Common questions about this ranking
Which Melbourne suburbs have the most Cantonese spoken at home?
Doncaster East has the highest share, at 13.5% of residents. Doncaster and Box Hill follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 217 eligible Melbourne suburbs.
How is this ranking put together?
Each Melbourne suburb is ranked by the share of its residents who speak Cantonese at home in the 2021 Census — that count divided by the suburb's total population. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are included, and percentile ranks are computed within Melbourne's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs.
Where does the data come from?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census 'language used at home' question — the same source as the language breakdown on each suburb page. Nothing is estimated or inferred about any individual.
Does this capture everyone of Cantonese heritage?
No — it counts people who speak Cantonese at home, which understates the full community: Cantonese-heritage residents who speak mainly English at home aren't counted. It's the cleanest available signal of an active language community, not a complete ancestry measure, and it isn't a recommendation to seek out or avoid anywhere.
How current is it?
The figures are from the 2021 Census, the most recent available until results from the August 2026 Census are released in 2027. The top 15 is recomputed whenever we refresh the census data.
Same list in other cities
- Sydney suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Brisbane suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Perth suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Adelaide suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Hobart suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Darwin suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Canberra suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Newcastle suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Central Coast suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Sunshine Coast suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Gold Coast suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Wollongong suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Geelong suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Townsville suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Toowoomba suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Busselton suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Ballarat suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Cairns suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Albany suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Ballina suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Geraldton suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Warragul suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Bundaberg suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Launceston suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Bendigo suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Rockhampton suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Mackay suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Albury – Wodonga suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Camden Haven suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Burnie suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Wagga Wagga suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Coffs Harbour suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Alice Springs suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- Mount Isa suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
Related
Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.
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