Where the Lebanese community lives in Wollongong

Cringila has the largest Lebanese community: 12.8% of residents reported Lebanese ancestry, 6.4% were born in Lebanon, and 18.1% speak Arabic at home. Lake Heights and Berkeley follow.

This page ranks Wollongong suburbs by where the Lebanese community is most established, using the 2021 Census. Suburbs are ordered by the share of residents who reported Lebanese ancestry, and each one also shows the share who were born in Lebanon and speak Arabic at home. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.

No single number captures a community on its own — ancestry is the broadest (it includes Australian-born second and third generations), country of birth captures migrants, and language spoken at home tracks the actively speaking core. We show every angle the 2021 Census publishes for the Lebanese community so you can see the full picture. Ancestry is a multiple-response question, so shares read as "residents who reported this ancestry" rather than an exclusive count. Percentile ranks are computed within Wollongong's pool. This is descriptive demographic information, not a recommendation.

Where the Lebanese community lives in Wollongong

Ranked by the share of residents who reported Lebanese ancestry in the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents. Each suburb also shows the share who were born in Lebanon and speak Arabic at home — the angles the census publishes on where the Lebanese community is established.

1

Cringila

NSW 2502 · 2,156 residents

13% Lebanese ancestry · 6% born in Lebanon · 18% speak Arabic

C 100.0
2

Lake Heights

NSW 2502 · 4,105 residents

4% Lebanese ancestry · 1% born in Lebanon · 6% speak Arabic

B 92.9
3

Berkeley

NSW 2506 · 7,798 residents

2% Lebanese ancestry · 1% born in Lebanon · 4% speak Arabic

B 85.7
4

Balgownie

NSW 2519 · 5,722 residents

2% Lebanese ancestry · 1% born in Lebanon · 1% speak Arabic

B 78.6
5

Warrawong

NSW 2502 · 4,659 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 1% born in Lebanon · 2% speak Arabic

C 71.4
6

Cordeaux Heights

NSW 2526 · 4,460 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 1% speak Arabic

A 64.3
7

Unanderra

NSW 2526 · 5,476 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 2% speak Arabic

C 57.1
8

Figtree

NSW 2525 · 12,335 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 2% speak Arabic

B 50.0
9

Corrimal

NSW 2518 · 6,972 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 1% speak Arabic

C 42.9
10

West Wollongong

NSW 2500 · 5,223 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 2% speak Arabic

B 35.7
11

Bulli

NSW 2516 · 6,798 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 0% speak Arabic

C 28.6
12

Fairy Meadow

NSW 2519 · 7,512 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 1% speak Arabic

C 21.4
13

Wollongong

NSW 2500 · 20,446 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 2% speak Arabic

B 14.3
14

Woonona

NSW 2517 · 12,374 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 0% speak Arabic

B 7.1
15

Horsley

NSW 2530 · 9,437 residents

1% Lebanese ancestry · 0% born in Lebanon · 0% speak Arabic

B 0.0

Ranked from 15 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

Ranked on the share of residents who reported this ancestry (the broadest signal — it includes Australian-born second and third generations) in the 2021 Census, percentile-ranked within Wollongong's candidate pool. Every suburb also shows all three census angles — ancestry, country of birth, and language spoken at home — because no single number captures a community on its own. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents qualify. Ancestry is a multiple-response question, so shares read as "residents who reported this ancestry", not an exclusive count. Descriptive ABS Census data, not a recommendation. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

Where does the Lebanese community live in Wollongong?

Cringila has the largest Lebanese community: 12.8% of residents reported Lebanese ancestry, 6.4% were born in Lebanon, and 18.1% speak Arabic at home. Lake Heights and Berkeley follow. In Wollongong suburbs of 2,000+ residents, 0.8% of people reported Lebanese ancestry (2021 Census).

How is this ranking put together?

Suburbs are ordered by the share of residents who reported Lebanese ancestry. Ancestry is the broadest measure — it includes Australian-born second and third generations, not just migrants. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are included, and percentile ranks are computed within Wollongong's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs.

What do the percentages on each suburb mean?

They are different census angles on the Lebanese community: ancestry is the broadest, since it includes people born here, country of birth counts only those who migrated, and language at home counts the actively speaking core. They rarely match, and seeing them together tells you whether a suburb's community is long-established, newly-arrived, or somewhere in between.

Why don't the percentages add up?

They measure different things and come from different census questions. Ancestry is a multiple-response question (a person can report up to two), so it isn't a clean share of population; birthplace counts only people born overseas; and language counts only those who still speak it at home. This is descriptive demographic data, not 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

Related

Rankings last computed 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

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