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 Albany were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Albany - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Albany in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Albany (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Albany, with comparison markers for Albany (C).
English
2021 count
690
% of total
24.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
690
24.8%
-0.5pp
Australian
2021 count
411
% of total
14.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
411
14.8%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
174
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
174
6.3%
-0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
153
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
153
5.5%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
62
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
62
2.2%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
49
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
49
1.8%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
38
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
38
1.4%
0.0pp
Ni-Vanuatu
2021 count
35
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-
35
1.3%
-
Filipino
2021 count
33
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
33
1.2%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
21
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
21
0.8%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+34
-0.5pp
Australian
+15
-0.5pp
Scottish
+5
-0.2pp
Irish
-5
-0.6pp
German
0
-0.2pp
Italian
+4
+0.1pp
Dutch
+2
0.0pp
Filipino
+3
0.0pp
Chinese
+7
+0.3pp
Welsh
-2
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Albany. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Albany (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Albany (C)% | Count | % | Albany (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 690 | 24.8% | 23.6% | 656 | 25.3% | 23.7% | +34 | -0.5pp |
| Australian | 411 | 14.8% | 19.9% | 396 | 15.3% | 19.9% | +15 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 174 | 6.3% | 5.0% | 169 | 6.5% | 5.0% | +5 | -0.2pp |
| Irish | 153 | 5.5% | 4.3% | 158 | 6.1% | 4.4% | -5 | -0.6pp |
| German | 62 | 2.2% | 1.9% | 62 | 2.4% | 1.9% | 0 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 49 | 1.8% | 1.8% | 45 | 1.7% | 1.6% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 38 | 1.4% | 1.8% | 36 | 1.4% | 1.8% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| Ni-Vanuatu | 35 | 1.3% | 0.0% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Filipino | 33 | 1.2% | 0.9% | 30 | 1.2% | 0.8% | +3 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 21 | 0.8% | 0.4% | 14 | 0.5% | 0.4% | +7 | +0.3pp |
| Total | 2,782 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,589 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +193 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).