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 Exmouth (S) were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Exmouth (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Exmouth (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Exmouth (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Australian
2021 count
1,278
% of total
20.8%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
1,278
20.8%
-1.3pp
English
2021 count
1,194
% of total
19.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,194
19.4%
-0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
312
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
312
5.1%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
257
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
257
4.2%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
144
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
144
2.3%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
137
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
137
2.2%
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
78
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
78
1.3%
+1.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
57
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
57
0.9%
-0.3pp
New Zealander
2021 count
36
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
36
0.6%
+0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
34
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
34
0.6%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+73
-1.3pp
English
+103
-0.6pp
Scottish
+32
0.0pp
Irish
+35
+0.1pp
German
+23
+0.1pp
Italian
+54
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+75
+1.2pp
Dutch
-7
-0.3pp
New Zealander
+11
+0.1pp
Polish
+10
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Exmouth (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 | |
| Australian | 1,278 | 20.8% | 18.2% | 1,205 | 22.1% | 19.9% | +73 | -1.3pp |
| English | 1,194 | 19.4% | 20.0% | 1,091 | 20.0% | 19.7% | +103 | -0.6pp |
| Scottish | 312 | 5.1% | 4.5% | 280 | 5.1% | 4.4% | +32 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 257 | 4.2% | 4.3% | 222 | 4.1% | 4.3% | +35 | +0.1pp |
| German | 144 | 2.3% | 1.7% | 121 | 2.2% | 1.7% | +23 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 137 | 2.2% | 1.9% | 83 | 1.5% | 1.8% | +54 | +0.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 78 | 1.3% | 3.9% | 3 | 0.1% | 1.5% | +75 | +1.2pp |
| Dutch | 57 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 64 | 1.2% | 0.9% | -7 | -0.3pp |
| New Zealander | 36 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 25 | 0.5% | 0.6% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Polish | 34 | 0.6% | 0.3% | 24 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +10 | +0.2pp |
| Total | 6,151 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5,457 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +694 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).