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 Canning (C) were English, Australian and Chinese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Canning (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Canning (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Canning (C), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
23,601
% of total
24.6%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
23,601
24.6%
-1.8pp
Australian
2021 count
17,950
% of total
18.7%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
17,950
18.7%
-1.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
17,759
% of total
18.5%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
17,759
18.5%
+0.9pp
Indian
2021 count
7,891
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
7,891
8.2%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
5,303
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
5,303
5.5%
-0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
5,238
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
5,238
5.5%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
3,175
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
3,175
3.3%
-0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
1,927
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,927
2.0%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
1,744
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,744
1.8%
-0.2pp
Punjabi
2021 count
1,626
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
1,626
1.7%
+1.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-196
-1.8pp
Australian
-299
-1.5pp
Chinese
+1,905
+0.9pp
Indian
+833
+0.4pp
Scottish
-144
-0.5pp
Irish
-410
-0.8pp
Italian
+103
-0.1pp
Filipino
+190
+0.1pp
German
-94
-0.2pp
Punjabi
+1,183
+1.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Canning (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 | 23,601 | 24.6% | 37.1% | 23,797 | 26.4% | 37.2% | -196 | -1.8pp |
| Australian | 17,950 | 18.7% | 28.0% | 18,249 | 20.2% | 28.3% | -299 | -1.5pp |
| Chinese | 17,759 | 18.5% | 5.3% | 15,854 | 17.6% | 5.1% | +1,905 | +0.9pp |
| Indian | 7,891 | 8.2% | 3.5% | 7,058 | 7.8% | 3.3% | +833 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 5,303 | 5.5% | 8.7% | 5,447 | 6.0% | 8.6% | -144 | -0.5pp |
| Irish | 5,238 | 5.5% | 8.8% | 5,648 | 6.3% | 9.2% | -410 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 3,175 | 3.3% | 5.5% | 3,072 | 3.4% | 5.3% | +103 | -0.1pp |
| Filipino | 1,927 | 2.0% | 1.8% | 1,737 | 1.9% | 1.5% | +190 | +0.1pp |
| German | 1,744 | 1.8% | 2.8% | 1,838 | 2.0% | 2.8% | -94 | -0.2pp |
| Punjabi | 1,626 | 1.7% | 0.5% | 443 | 0.5% | 0.2% | +1,183 | +1.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).