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 East Fremantle (T) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
East Fremantle (T) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for East Fremantle (T) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for East Fremantle (T), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
3,542
% of total
22.7%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
3,542
22.7%
+1.7pp
Australian
2021 count
2,546
% of total
16.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
2,546
16.3%
-0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
1,143
% of total
7.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,143
7.3%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
961
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
961
6.2%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
707
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
707
4.5%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
296
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
296
1.9%
+0.3pp
Croatian
2021 count
154
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
154
1.0%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
148
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
148
0.9%
0.0pp
Welsh
2021 count
119
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
119
0.8%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
85
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
85
0.5%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+443
+1.7pp
Australian
+76
-0.5pp
Irish
+71
0.0pp
Scottish
+76
+0.2pp
Italian
+50
0.0pp
German
+55
+0.3pp
Croatian
+29
+0.2pp
Dutch
+21
0.0pp
Welsh
+11
+0.1pp
Chinese
+11
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for East Fremantle (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 | 3,542 | 22.7% | 18.5% | 3,099 | 21.0% | 18.6% | +443 | +1.7pp |
| Australian | 2,546 | 16.3% | 14.0% | 2,470 | 16.8% | 14.1% | +76 | -0.5pp |
| Irish | 1,143 | 7.3% | 4.4% | 1,072 | 7.3% | 4.6% | +71 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 961 | 6.2% | 4.3% | 885 | 6.0% | 4.3% | +76 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 707 | 4.5% | 2.8% | 657 | 4.5% | 2.7% | +50 | 0.0pp |
| German | 296 | 1.9% | 1.4% | 241 | 1.6% | 1.4% | +55 | +0.3pp |
| Croatian | 154 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 125 | 0.8% | 0.4% | +29 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 148 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 127 | 0.9% | 1.0% | +21 | 0.0pp |
| Welsh | 119 | 0.8% | 0.5% | 108 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 85 | 0.5% | 2.7% | 74 | 0.5% | 2.6% | +11 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 15,625 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 14,729 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +896 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).