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 Armadale (C) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Armadale (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Armadale (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Armadale (C), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
34,367
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
34,367
18.2%
-1.6pp
Australian
2021 count
26,795
% of total
14.2%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
26,795
14.2%
-1.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
7,125
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
7,125
3.8%
-0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
6,354
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
6,354
3.4%
+0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
6,148
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
6,148
3.3%
-0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
3,749
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
3,749
2.0%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
3,095
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
3,095
1.6%
-0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
3,019
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
3,019
1.6%
-0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
2,769
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
2,769
1.5%
+1.3pp
Filipino
2021 count
2,604
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,604
1.4%
+0.4pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,922
-1.6pp
Australian
+2,428
-1.1pp
Scottish
+635
-0.3pp
Indian
+2,014
+0.7pp
Irish
+114
-0.5pp
Chinese
+974
+0.3pp
Italian
+333
-0.1pp
Dutch
+266
-0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+2,441
+1.3pp
Filipino
+1,073
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Armadale (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Perth.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | pp | |
| English | 34,367 | 18.2% | 18.5% | 31,445 | 19.8% | 18.6% | +2,922 | -1.6pp |
| Australian | 26,795 | 14.2% | 14.0% | 24,367 | 15.3% | 14.1% | +2,428 | -1.1pp |
| Scottish | 7,125 | 3.8% | 4.3% | 6,490 | 4.1% | 4.3% | +635 | -0.3pp |
| Indian | 6,354 | 3.4% | 1.7% | 4,340 | 2.7% | 1.7% | +2,014 | +0.7pp |
| Irish | 6,148 | 3.3% | 4.4% | 6,034 | 3.8% | 4.6% | +114 | -0.5pp |
| Chinese | 3,749 | 2.0% | 2.7% | 2,775 | 1.7% | 2.6% | +974 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 3,095 | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2,762 | 1.7% | 2.7% | +333 | -0.1pp |
| Dutch | 3,019 | 1.6% | 1.0% | 2,753 | 1.7% | 1.0% | +266 | -0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 2,769 | 1.5% | 0.9% | 328 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +2,441 | +1.3pp |
| Filipino | 2,604 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1,531 | 1.0% | 0.7% | +1,073 | +0.4pp |
| Total | 188,349 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 159,185 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +29,164 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).