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 Black Rock (Vic.) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Black Rock (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Black Rock (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Bayside (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Black Rock (Vic.), with comparison markers for Bayside (C).
English
2021 count
2,609
% of total
40.8%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
2,609
40.8%
-1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
2,067
% of total
32.4%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
2,067
32.4%
+1.0pp
Irish
2021 count
883
% of total
13.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
883
13.8%
-0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
854
% of total
13.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
854
13.4%
+0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
318
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
318
5.0%
+0.7pp
German
2021 count
282
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
282
4.4%
+0.2pp
Greek
2021 count
252
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
252
3.9%
+0.3pp
Chinese
2021 count
196
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
196
3.1%
+0.6pp
Dutch
2021 count
136
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
136
2.1%
+0.5pp
Polish
2021 count
95
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
95
1.5%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+15
-1.3pp
Australian
+130
+1.0pp
Irish
+13
-0.3pp
Scottish
+74
+0.7pp
Italian
+53
+0.7pp
German
+21
+0.2pp
Greek
+30
+0.3pp
Chinese
+44
+0.6pp
Dutch
+35
+0.5pp
Polish
+26
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Black Rock (Vic.). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Bayside (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Bayside (C)% | Count | % | Bayside (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,609 | 40.8% | 38.0% | 2,594 | 42.1% | 38.0% | +15 | -1.3pp |
| Australian | 2,067 | 32.4% | 29.6% | 1,937 | 31.4% | 29.9% | +130 | +1.0pp |
| Irish | 883 | 13.8% | 13.2% | 870 | 14.1% | 13.6% | +13 | -0.3pp |
| Scottish | 854 | 13.4% | 11.4% | 780 | 12.7% | 11.4% | +74 | +0.7pp |
| Italian | 318 | 5.0% | 5.6% | 265 | 4.3% | 5.2% | +53 | +0.7pp |
| German | 282 | 4.4% | 4.3% | 261 | 4.2% | 4.2% | +21 | +0.2pp |
| Greek | 252 | 3.9% | 4.1% | 222 | 3.6% | 3.8% | +30 | +0.3pp |
| Chinese | 196 | 3.1% | 4.7% | 152 | 2.5% | 3.7% | +44 | +0.6pp |
| Dutch | 136 | 2.1% | 1.7% | 101 | 1.6% | 1.6% | +35 | +0.5pp |
| Polish | 95 | 1.5% | 1.9% | 69 | 1.1% | 1.8% | +26 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).