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
25.1%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
14,404
25.1%
+1.4pp
Australian
2021 count
11,004
% of total
19.2%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
11,004
19.2%
-0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
3,288
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
3,288
5.7%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
2,696
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,696
4.7%
+0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
2,570
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,570
4.5%
+0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
669
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
669
1.2%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
600
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
600
1.0%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
437
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
437
0.8%
+0.7pp
Welsh
2021 count
263
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
263
0.5%
0.0pp
Polish
2021 count
219
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
219
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,144
+1.4pp
Australian
+749
-0.6pp
Scottish
+513
+0.3pp
German
+438
+0.3pp
Irish
+465
+0.4pp
Dutch
+109
+0.1pp
Italian
+124
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+375
+0.7pp
Welsh
+17
0.0pp
Polish
+60
+0.1pp
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 | 25.1% | 21.0% | 12,260 | 23.7% | 20.5% | +2,144 | +1.4pp |
| Australian | 11,004 | 19.2% | 20.3% | 10,255 | 19.8% | 21.0% | +749 | -0.6pp |
| Scottish | 3,288 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 2,775 | 5.4% | 4.5% | +513 | +0.3pp |
| German | 2,696 | 4.7% | 5.3% | 2,258 | 4.4% | 5.4% | +438 | +0.3pp |
| Irish | 2,570 | 4.5% | 3.8% | 2,105 | 4.1% | 3.9% | +465 | +0.4pp |
| Dutch | 669 | 1.2% | 0.8% | 560 | 1.1% | 0.8% | +109 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 600 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 476 | 0.9% | 1.1% | +124 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 437 | 0.8% | 2.2% | 62 | 0.1% | 0.6% | +375 | +0.7pp |
| Welsh | 263 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 246 | 0.5% | 0.3% | +17 | 0.0pp |
| Polish | 219 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 159 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +60 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 57,435 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 51,726 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +5,709 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).