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 Edmonton were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Edmonton - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Edmonton in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Edmonton, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
Australian
2021 count
4,007
% of total
35.1%
Change from 2016
-6.4pp
4,007
35.1%
-6.4pp
English
2021 count
3,588
% of total
31.4%
Change from 2016
-3.6pp
3,588
31.4%
-3.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,304
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
+9.1pp
1,304
11.4%
+9.1pp
Irish
2021 count
1,013
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
1,013
8.9%
-2.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
852
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
852
7.5%
-0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
622
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
622
5.5%
-0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
617
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+4.3pp
617
5.4%
+4.3pp
German
2021 count
606
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
606
5.3%
-0.2pp
Hmong
2021 count
296
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
296
2.6%
+0.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
243
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
243
2.1%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-460
-6.4pp
English
-175
-3.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,058
+9.1pp
Irish
-207
-2.4pp
Scottish
-6
-0.5pp
Italian
-2
-0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
+498
+4.3pp
German
+15
-0.2pp
Hmong
+75
+0.5pp
Filipino
+84
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Edmonton. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cairns (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 4,007 | 35.1% | 30.0% | 4,467 | 41.5% | 34.6% | -460 | -6.4pp |
| English | 3,588 | 31.4% | 34.4% | 3,763 | 35.0% | 35.1% | -175 | -3.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,304 | 11.4% | 7.1% | 246 | 2.3% | 1.2% | +1,058 | +9.1pp |
| Irish | 1,013 | 8.9% | 10.5% | 1,220 | 11.3% | 11.6% | -207 | -2.4pp |
| Scottish | 852 | 7.5% | 9.3% | 858 | 8.0% | 9.4% | -6 | -0.5pp |
| Italian | 622 | 5.5% | 5.0% | 624 | 5.8% | 4.8% | -2 | -0.3pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 617 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 119 | 1.1% | 1.0% | +498 | +4.3pp |
| German | 606 | 5.3% | 5.2% | 591 | 5.5% | 5.4% | +15 | -0.2pp |
| Hmong | 296 | 2.6% | 0.5% | 221 | 2.1% | 0.5% | +75 | +0.5pp |
| Filipino | 243 | 2.1% | 1.9% | 159 | 1.5% | 1.6% | +84 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).