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 Cottesloe (T) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cottesloe (T) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cottesloe (T) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cottesloe (T), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
3,880
% of total
24.4%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
3,880
24.4%
+0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
2,634
% of total
16.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,634
16.5%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,119
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,119
7.0%
+0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
1,111
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,111
7.0%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
418
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
418
2.6%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
277
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
277
1.7%
-0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
149
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
149
0.9%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
138
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
138
0.9%
+0.2pp
French
2021 count
112
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
112
0.7%
-0.1pp
Greek
2021 count
111
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
111
0.7%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+307
+0.9pp
Australian
+176
+0.3pp
Scottish
+118
+0.4pp
Irish
+4
-0.3pp
Italian
+90
+0.4pp
German
-32
-0.3pp
Dutch
+21
+0.1pp
Chinese
+35
+0.2pp
French
-3
-0.1pp
Greek
+15
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cottesloe (T). 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 | 3,880 | 24.4% | 18.5% | 3,573 | 23.5% | 18.6% | +307 | +0.9pp |
| Australian | 2,634 | 16.5% | 14.0% | 2,458 | 16.2% | 14.1% | +176 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 1,119 | 7.0% | 4.3% | 1,001 | 6.6% | 4.3% | +118 | +0.4pp |
| Irish | 1,111 | 7.0% | 4.4% | 1,107 | 7.3% | 4.6% | +4 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 418 | 2.6% | 2.8% | 328 | 2.2% | 2.7% | +90 | +0.4pp |
| German | 277 | 1.7% | 1.4% | 309 | 2.0% | 1.4% | -32 | -0.3pp |
| Dutch | 149 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 128 | 0.8% | 1.0% | +21 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 138 | 0.9% | 2.7% | 103 | 0.7% | 2.6% | +35 | +0.2pp |
| French | 112 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 115 | 0.8% | 0.3% | -3 | -0.1pp |
| Greek | 111 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 96 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +15 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 15,930 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 15,173 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +757 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).