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 Boorcan were English, Australian and Irish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Boorcan - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Boorcan in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Corangamite (S) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Boorcan, with comparison markers for Corangamite (S).

Boorcan
Corangamite (S)

English

2021 count

76

% of total

26.4%

Change from 2016

+1.4pp

Australian

2021 count

50

% of total

17.4%

Change from 2016

-0.5pp

Irish

2021 count

30

% of total

10.4%

Change from 2016

-3.9pp

Scottish

2021 count

27

% of total

9.4%

Change from 2016

-

Swiss

2021 count

10

% of total

3.5%

Change from 2016

-

Data table

Ancestry for Boorcan. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Corangamite (S).

Ancestry for Boorcan. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Corangamite (S).
Ancestry for Boorcan. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Corangamite (S).
Category20212016Change
Count%Corangamite (S)%Count%Corangamite (S)%Countpp
English7626.4%20.1%725.0%19.8%+69+1.4pp
Australian5017.4%22.2%517.9%22.2%+45-0.5pp
Irish3010.4%7.5%414.3%7.4%+26-3.9pp
Scottish279.4%6.5%--6.2%--
Swiss103.5%0.1%--0.1%--
Total288100.0%100.0%28100.0%100.0%+2600.0pp

Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).