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 Clare and Gilbert Valleys (DC) were English, Australian and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Clare and Gilbert Valleys (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Clare and Gilbert Valleys (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Clare and Gilbert Valleys (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
English
2021 count
4,165
% of total
22.7%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
4,165
22.7%
+0.4pp
Australian
2021 count
3,805
% of total
20.7%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
3,805
20.7%
-0.3pp
German
2021 count
1,076
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,076
5.9%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
930
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
930
5.1%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
929
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
929
5.1%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
163
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
163
0.9%
+0.8pp
Dutch
2021 count
135
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
135
0.7%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
127
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
127
0.7%
0.0pp
Polish
2021 count
79
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
79
0.4%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
62
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
62
0.3%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+151
+0.4pp
Australian
+15
-0.3pp
German
+7
0.0pp
Scottish
+48
+0.2pp
Irish
+58
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+151
+0.8pp
Dutch
+24
+0.1pp
Italian
+3
0.0pp
Polish
+1
0.0pp
Indian
+35
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Clare and Gilbert Valleys (DC). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| English | 4,165 | 22.7% | 21.0% | 4,014 | 22.3% | 20.5% | +151 | +0.4pp |
| Australian | 3,805 | 20.7% | 20.3% | 3,790 | 21.0% | 21.0% | +15 | -0.3pp |
| German | 1,076 | 5.9% | 5.3% | 1,069 | 5.9% | 5.4% | +7 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 930 | 5.1% | 4.6% | 882 | 4.9% | 4.5% | +48 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 929 | 5.1% | 3.8% | 871 | 4.8% | 3.9% | +58 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 163 | 0.9% | 2.2% | 12 | 0.1% | 0.6% | +151 | +0.8pp |
| Dutch | 135 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 111 | 0.6% | 0.8% | +24 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 127 | 0.7% | 1.1% | 124 | 0.7% | 1.1% | +3 | 0.0pp |
| Polish | 79 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 78 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 62 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 27 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +35 | +0.2pp |
| Total | 18,338 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 18,028 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +310 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).