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 Denmark (S) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Denmark (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Denmark (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Denmark (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
English
2021 count
3,038
% of total
48.1%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
3,038
48.1%
-0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
2,240
% of total
35.5%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
2,240
35.5%
-1.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
738
% of total
11.7%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
738
11.7%
+0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
710
% of total
11.3%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
710
11.3%
+0.7pp
German
2021 count
300
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
300
4.8%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
171
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
171
2.7%
-0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
162
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
162
2.6%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
71
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
71
1.1%
+0.8pp
Welsh
2021 count
63
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
63
1.0%
-0.2pp
Croatian
2021 count
60
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
60
1.0%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+220
-0.1pp
Australian
+54
-1.9pp
Scottish
+89
+0.6pp
Irish
+90
+0.7pp
German
+49
+0.5pp
Italian
+7
-0.1pp
Dutch
+16
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+53
+0.8pp
Welsh
-6
-0.2pp
Croatian
+33
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Denmark (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | pp | |
| English | 3,038 | 48.1% | 40.0% | 2,818 | 48.2% | 39.4% | +220 | -0.1pp |
| Australian | 2,240 | 35.5% | 36.3% | 2,186 | 37.4% | 39.9% | +54 | -1.9pp |
| Scottish | 738 | 11.7% | 9.0% | 649 | 11.1% | 8.8% | +89 | +0.6pp |
| Irish | 710 | 11.3% | 8.6% | 620 | 10.6% | 8.7% | +90 | +0.7pp |
| German | 300 | 4.8% | 3.4% | 251 | 4.3% | 3.3% | +49 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 171 | 2.7% | 3.8% | 164 | 2.8% | 3.6% | +7 | -0.1pp |
| Dutch | 162 | 2.6% | 1.9% | 146 | 2.5% | 1.8% | +16 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 71 | 1.1% | 7.8% | 18 | 0.3% | 3.1% | +53 | +0.8pp |
| Welsh | 63 | 1.0% | 0.7% | 69 | 1.2% | 0.7% | -6 | -0.2pp |
| Croatian | 60 | 1.0% | 0.4% | 27 | 0.5% | 0.3% | +33 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).