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 Alice Springs (T) were English, Australian and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Alice Springs (T) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Alice Springs (T) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NT and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Alice Springs (T), with comparison markers for Regional NT.
English
2021 count
6,972
% of total
13.5%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
6,972
13.5%
-1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
6,763
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
6,763
13.1%
-3.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
5,172
% of total
10.0%
Change from 2016
+7.1pp
5,172
10.0%
+7.1pp
Irish
2021 count
2,390
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
2,390
4.6%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,959
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,959
3.8%
-0.3pp
German
2021 count
1,332
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,332
2.6%
-0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
939
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
939
1.8%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
719
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
719
1.4%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
606
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
606
1.2%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
549
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
549
1.1%
+0.3pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-333
-1.3pp
Australian
-1,380
-3.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+3,731
+7.1pp
Irish
-91
-0.4pp
Scottish
-90
-0.3pp
German
-91
-0.3pp
Indian
+91
+0.1pp
Filipino
+121
+0.2pp
Italian
+77
+0.1pp
Chinese
+160
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Alice Springs (T). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NT.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NT% | Count | % | Regional NT% | Count | pp | |
| English | 6,972 | 13.5% | 8.1% | 7,305 | 14.8% | 8.4% | -333 | -1.3pp |
| Australian | 6,763 | 13.1% | 8.4% | 8,143 | 16.5% | 11.0% | -1,380 | -3.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 5,172 | 10.0% | 24.6% | 1,441 | 2.9% | 19.8% | +3,731 | +7.1pp |
| Irish | 2,390 | 4.6% | 2.7% | 2,481 | 5.0% | 2.8% | -91 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 1,959 | 3.8% | 2.3% | 2,049 | 4.1% | 2.4% | -90 | -0.3pp |
| German | 1,332 | 2.6% | 1.4% | 1,423 | 2.9% | 1.5% | -91 | -0.3pp |
| Indian | 939 | 1.8% | 0.7% | 848 | 1.7% | 0.6% | +91 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 719 | 1.4% | 0.8% | 598 | 1.2% | 0.6% | +121 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 606 | 1.2% | 0.6% | 529 | 1.1% | 0.6% | +77 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 549 | 1.1% | 0.5% | 389 | 0.8% | 0.4% | +160 | +0.3pp |
| Total | 51,778 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 49,456 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,322 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).