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 Cleve (DC) were Australian, English and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cleve (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cleve (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cleve (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Australian
2021 count
835
% of total
24.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
835
24.1%
+0.1pp
English
2021 count
697
% of total
20.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
697
20.1%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
197
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
197
5.7%
-1.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
140
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
140
4.0%
+0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
97
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
97
2.8%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
25
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
25
0.7%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
20
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
20
0.6%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
14
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
14
0.4%
-
Welsh
2021 count
11
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
11
0.3%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-12
+0.1pp
English
0
+0.4pp
German
-48
-1.2pp
Scottish
+18
+0.5pp
Irish
-14
-0.3pp
Italian
0
0.0pp
Dutch
+3
+0.1pp
Welsh
+2
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cleve (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 | |
| Australian | 835 | 24.1% | 20.3% | 847 | 24.0% | 21.0% | -12 | +0.1pp |
| English | 697 | 20.1% | 21.0% | 697 | 19.7% | 20.5% | 0 | +0.4pp |
| German | 197 | 5.7% | 5.3% | 245 | 6.9% | 5.4% | -48 | -1.2pp |
| Scottish | 140 | 4.0% | 4.6% | 122 | 3.5% | 4.5% | +18 | +0.5pp |
| Irish | 97 | 2.8% | 3.8% | 111 | 3.1% | 3.9% | -14 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 25 | 0.7% | 1.1% | 25 | 0.7% | 1.1% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 20 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 17 | 0.5% | 0.8% | +3 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 14 | 0.4% | 2.2% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Welsh | 11 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 9 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 3,462 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3,532 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -70 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).