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 Coober Pedy (DC) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Coober Pedy (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Coober Pedy (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Coober Pedy (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Australian
2021 count
344
% of total
11.1%
Change from 2016
-3.5pp
344
11.1%
-3.5pp
English
2021 count
328
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
328
10.6%
-1.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
204
% of total
6.6%
Change from 2016
+4.0pp
204
6.6%
+4.0pp
German
2021 count
93
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
93
3.0%
-0.8pp
Greek
2021 count
92
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
92
3.0%
-0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
81
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
81
2.6%
-0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
65
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
65
2.1%
+0.2pp
Croatian
2021 count
55
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
55
1.8%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
54
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
54
1.7%
+0.5pp
Sinhalese
2021 count
40
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
40
1.3%
+0.7pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-170
-3.5pp
English
-91
-1.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+114
+4.0pp
German
-41
-0.8pp
Greek
-22
-0.2pp
Irish
-37
-0.8pp
Scottish
-2
+0.2pp
Croatian
0
+0.2pp
Filipino
+11
+0.5pp
Sinhalese
+18
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Coober Pedy (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 | 344 | 11.1% | 20.3% | 514 | 14.6% | 21.0% | -170 | -3.5pp |
| English | 328 | 10.6% | 21.0% | 419 | 11.9% | 20.5% | -91 | -1.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 204 | 6.6% | 2.2% | 90 | 2.6% | 0.6% | +114 | +4.0pp |
| German | 93 | 3.0% | 5.3% | 134 | 3.8% | 5.4% | -41 | -0.8pp |
| Greek | 92 | 3.0% | 0.4% | 114 | 3.2% | 0.4% | -22 | -0.2pp |
| Irish | 81 | 2.6% | 3.8% | 118 | 3.4% | 3.9% | -37 | -0.8pp |
| Scottish | 65 | 2.1% | 4.6% | 67 | 1.9% | 4.5% | -2 | +0.2pp |
| Croatian | 55 | 1.8% | 0.2% | 55 | 1.6% | 0.1% | 0 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 54 | 1.7% | 0.4% | 43 | 1.2% | 0.3% | +11 | +0.5pp |
| Sinhalese | 40 | 1.3% | 0.0% | 22 | 0.6% | 0.0% | +18 | +0.7pp |
| Total | 3,100 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3,515 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -415 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).