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 Pink Lake were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Pink Lake - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Pink Lake in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Esperance (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Pink Lake, with comparison markers for Esperance (S).
Australian
2021 count
474
% of total
23.1%
Change from 2016
+4.5pp
474
23.1%
+4.5pp
English
2021 count
406
% of total
19.8%
Change from 2016
+3.6pp
406
19.8%
+3.6pp
Irish
2021 count
91
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
91
4.4%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
90
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
90
4.4%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
46
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
46
2.2%
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
35
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
35
1.7%
+1.5pp
Italian
2021 count
24
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
24
1.2%
-0.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
17
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
17
0.8%
+0.4pp
Maori
2021 count
10
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
10
0.5%
-0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
10
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
10
0.5%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,076
+4.5pp
English
-948
+3.6pp
Irish
-315
-0.5pp
Scottish
-268
+0.1pp
German
-97
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+16
+1.5pp
Italian
-87
-0.1pp
Welsh
-15
+0.4pp
Maori
-69
-0.4pp
Dutch
-62
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Pink Lake. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Esperance (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Esperance (S)% | Count | % | Esperance (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 474 | 23.1% | 21.9% | 1,550 | 18.6% | 23.2% | -1,076 | +4.5pp |
| English | 406 | 19.8% | 20.0% | 1,354 | 16.2% | 19.4% | -948 | +3.6pp |
| Irish | 91 | 4.4% | 4.3% | 406 | 4.9% | 4.3% | -315 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 90 | 4.4% | 5.0% | 358 | 4.3% | 4.5% | -268 | +0.1pp |
| German | 46 | 2.2% | 2.3% | 143 | 1.7% | 2.0% | -97 | +0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 35 | 1.7% | 2.1% | 19 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +16 | +1.5pp |
| Italian | 24 | 1.2% | 1.5% | 111 | 1.3% | 1.3% | -87 | -0.1pp |
| Welsh | 17 | 0.8% | 0.3% | 32 | 0.4% | 0.2% | -15 | +0.4pp |
| Maori | 10 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 79 | 0.9% | 0.5% | -69 | -0.4pp |
| Dutch | 10 | 0.5% | 0.8% | 72 | 0.9% | 0.6% | -62 | -0.4pp |
| Total | 2,054 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 8,344 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -6,290 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).