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 Alexandrina (DC) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Alexandrina (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Alexandrina (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Alexandrina (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
English
2021 count
14,404
% of total
50.1%
Change from 2016
+2.7pp
14,404
50.1%
+2.7pp
Australian
2021 count
11,004
% of total
38.3%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
11,004
38.3%
-1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
3,288
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
3,288
11.4%
+0.7pp
German
2021 count
2,696
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
2,696
9.4%
+0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
2,570
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
2,570
8.9%
+0.8pp
Dutch
2021 count
669
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
669
2.3%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
600
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
600
2.1%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
437
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
437
1.5%
+1.3pp
Welsh
2021 count
263
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
263
0.9%
-0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
219
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
219
0.8%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,144
+2.7pp
Australian
+749
-1.3pp
Scottish
+513
+0.7pp
German
+438
+0.7pp
Irish
+465
+0.8pp
Dutch
+109
+0.1pp
Italian
+124
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+375
+1.3pp
Welsh
+17
-0.1pp
Polish
+60
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Alexandrina (DC). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| English | 14,404 | 50.1% | 42.0% | 12,260 | 47.4% | 41.1% | +2,144 | +2.7pp |
| Australian | 11,004 | 38.3% | 40.5% | 10,255 | 39.6% | 42.1% | +749 | -1.3pp |
| Scottish | 3,288 | 11.4% | 9.2% | 2,775 | 10.7% | 9.0% | +513 | +0.7pp |
| German | 2,696 | 9.4% | 10.7% | 2,258 | 8.7% | 10.9% | +438 | +0.7pp |
| Irish | 2,570 | 8.9% | 7.7% | 2,105 | 8.1% | 7.8% | +465 | +0.8pp |
| Dutch | 669 | 2.3% | 1.7% | 560 | 2.2% | 1.6% | +109 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 600 | 2.1% | 2.2% | 476 | 1.8% | 2.1% | +124 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 437 | 1.5% | 4.3% | 62 | 0.2% | 1.2% | +375 | +1.3pp |
| Welsh | 263 | 0.9% | 0.6% | 246 | 1.0% | 0.6% | +17 | -0.1pp |
| Polish | 219 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 159 | 0.6% | 0.5% | +60 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).