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 North Adelaide were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
North Adelaide - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for North Adelaide in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Adelaide (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for North Adelaide, with comparison markers for Adelaide (C).
English
2021 count
2,481
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
-15.1pp
2,481
18.2%
-15.1pp
Australian
2021 count
1,726
% of total
12.7%
Change from 2016
-16.5pp
1,726
12.7%
-16.5pp
Irish
2021 count
782
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
-
782
5.7%
-
Scottish
2021 count
698
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-
698
5.1%
-
German
2021 count
532
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
-
532
3.9%
-
Italian
2021 count
383
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-
383
2.8%
-
Chinese
2021 count
373
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-
373
2.7%
-
Greek
2021 count
211
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-
211
1.6%
-
Indian
2021 count
196
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-
196
1.4%
-
Polish
2021 count
97
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
97
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,473
-15.1pp
Australian
+1,719
-16.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for North 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 | |
| English | 2,481 | 18.2% | 13.7% | 8 | 33.3% | 12.6% | +2,473 | -15.1pp |
| Australian | 1,726 | 12.7% | 8.6% | 7 | 29.2% | 9.0% | +1,719 | -16.5pp |
| Irish | 782 | 5.7% | 4.2% | - | - | 3.9% | - | - |
| Scottish | 698 | 5.1% | 3.8% | - | - | 3.5% | - | - |
| German | 532 | 3.9% | 2.6% | - | - | 2.5% | - | - |
| Italian | 383 | 2.8% | 2.1% | - | - | 2.0% | - | - |
| Chinese | 373 | 2.7% | 10.0% | - | - | 10.6% | - | - |
| Greek | 211 | 1.6% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.9% | - | - |
| Indian | 196 | 1.4% | 1.9% | - | - | 1.4% | - | - |
| Polish | 97 | 0.7% | 0.5% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 13,606 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 24 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +13,582 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).