Melbourne suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
Box Hill has the highest share, at 33.9% of residents. Glen Waverley and Box Hill North follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 267 eligible Melbourne suburbs.
This page ranks Melbourne suburbs by the share of residents who speak Mandarin at home in the 2021 Census — where the Mandarin-speaking community is most concentrated. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.
Shares are the count of Melbourne residents who speak Mandarin 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 Mandarin-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 Mandarin is spoken at home
Ranked by the share of residents who speak Mandarin at home in the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents — where the Mandarin-speaking community is most established.
Box Hill
VIC 3128 · 14,353 residents33.9% of residents · 4,863 speakers
Glen Waverley
VIC 3150 · 42,642 residents23.3% of residents · 9,938 speakers
Box Hill North
VIC 3129 · 12,337 residents22.4% of residents · 2,758 speakers
Balwyn
VIC 3103 · 13,495 residents21.9% of residents · 2,961 speakers
Doncaster
VIC 3108 · 25,020 residents21.0% of residents · 5,251 speakers
Melbourne
VIC 3000 · 54,941 residents20.1% of residents · 11,061 speakers
Deepdene
VIC 3103 · 2,101 residents19.4% of residents · 407 speakers
Burwood East
VIC 3151 · 10,675 residents19.3% of residents · 2,064 speakers
Doncaster East
VIC 3109 · 30,926 residents18.9% of residents · 5,859 speakers
Balwyn North
VIC 3104 · 21,302 residents18.6% of residents · 3,969 speakers
Vermont South
VIC 3133 · 11,954 residents18.4% of residents · 2,203 speakers
Clayton
VIC 3168 · 18,988 residents17.4% of residents · 3,313 speakers
Mount Waverley
VIC 3149 · 35,340 residents16.6% of residents · 5,862 speakers
Carlton
VIC 3053 · 16,055 residents16.6% of residents · 2,658 speakers
Burwood
VIC 3125 · 15,147 residents16.5% of residents · 2,496 speakers
Ranked from 267 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 Mandarin spoken at home?
Box Hill has the highest share, at 33.9% of residents. Glen Waverley and Box Hill North follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 267 eligible Melbourne suburbs.
How is this ranking put together?
Each Melbourne suburb is ranked by the share of its residents who speak Mandarin 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 Mandarin heritage?
No — it counts people who speak Mandarin at home, which understates the full community: Mandarin-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 Mandarin is spoken at home
- Brisbane suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Perth suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Adelaide suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Hobart suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Darwin suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Canberra suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Newcastle suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Central Coast suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Sunshine Coast suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Gold Coast suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Wollongong suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Geelong suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Townsville suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Toowoomba suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Busselton suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Ballarat suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Cairns suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Albany suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Ballina suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Geraldton suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Warragul suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Bundaberg suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Launceston suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Bendigo suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Rockhampton suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Mackay suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Albury – Wodonga suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Camden Haven suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Burnie suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Wagga Wagga suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Coffs Harbour suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Alice Springs suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- Mount Isa suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
Related
Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.
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