Cultural diversity
Ancestry
About this topic
Ancestry describes a person's cultural association and ethnic background, and Census respondents can report more than one ancestry. It is a broader cultural measure than country of birth because it can reflect family heritage across generations.
This topic helps show the size and diversity of cultural groups in an area, including groups whose members were born in Australia. Because multiple ancestries can be reported, ancestry totals can exceed the total population, so it is best read with birthplace, language used at home, and religion.
Interpretation notes
- People can report up to two ancestries, so category totals represent responses rather than a single unduplicated person count.
- ABS advises that ancestry is best used with birthplace and language, because ancestry alone is a broad measure of ethnicity and cultural background.
- The 2021 form added separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mark boxes, so those categories need caution in over-time comparison.
Key insight
In 2021, the largest ancestry groups among residents in Adelaide were Chinese, English and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Adelaide - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Adelaide in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Adelaide (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Adelaide, with comparison markers for Adelaide (C).
Chinese
2021 count
4,636
% of total
25.5%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
4,636
25.5%
-2.6pp
English
2021 count
4,336
% of total
23.8%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
4,336
23.8%
+2.8pp
Australian
2021 count
2,589
% of total
14.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
2,589
14.2%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
1,296
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,296
7.1%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,180
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
1,180
6.5%
+0.7pp
German
2021 count
783
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
783
4.3%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
754
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
754
4.1%
+1.4pp
Italian
2021 count
676
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
676
3.7%
+0.3pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
416
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
416
2.3%
+1.0pp
Korean
2021 count
315
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
315
1.7%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Chinese
+391
-2.6pp
English
+1,157
+2.8pp
Australian
+477
+0.2pp
Irish
+285
+0.4pp
Scottish
+296
+0.7pp
German
+141
+0.1pp
Indian
+339
+1.4pp
Italian
+166
+0.3pp
Vietnamese
+213
+1.0pp
Korean
+4
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Adelaide. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Adelaide (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Adelaide (C)% | Count | % | Adelaide (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Chinese | 4,636 | 25.5% | 20.0% | 4,245 | 28.1% | 21.1% | +391 | -2.6pp |
| English | 4,336 | 23.8% | 27.3% | 3,179 | 21.0% | 25.3% | +1,157 | +2.8pp |
| Australian | 2,589 | 14.2% | 17.2% | 2,112 | 14.0% | 18.0% | +477 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 1,296 | 7.1% | 8.3% | 1,011 | 6.7% | 7.7% | +285 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 1,180 | 6.5% | 7.5% | 884 | 5.8% | 6.9% | +296 | +0.7pp |
| German | 783 | 4.3% | 5.3% | 642 | 4.2% | 5.1% | +141 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 754 | 4.1% | 3.8% | 415 | 2.7% | 2.9% | +339 | +1.4pp |
| Italian | 676 | 3.7% | 4.2% | 510 | 3.4% | 4.0% | +166 | +0.3pp |
| Vietnamese | 416 | 2.3% | 2.0% | 203 | 1.3% | 1.3% | +213 | +1.0pp |
| Korean | 315 | 1.7% | 1.3% | 311 | 2.1% | 1.5% | +4 | -0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).