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 Harvey (S) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Harvey (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Harvey (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Harvey (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
English
2021 count
12,947
% of total
45.3%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
12,947
45.3%
+1.4pp
Australian
2021 count
11,451
% of total
40.1%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
11,451
40.1%
+0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,681
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,681
9.4%
+0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
2,578
% of total
9.0%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
2,578
9.0%
-0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
2,209
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,209
7.7%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
921
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
921
3.2%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
842
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+2.5pp
842
2.9%
+2.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
630
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
630
2.2%
+0.6pp
Dutch
2021 count
619
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
619
2.2%
0.0pp
Maori
2021 count
467
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
467
1.6%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,290
+1.4pp
Australian
+935
+0.5pp
Scottish
+301
+0.4pp
Irish
+59
-0.5pp
Italian
+132
-0.1pp
German
+127
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+749
+2.5pp
Filipino
+204
+0.6pp
Dutch
+28
0.0pp
Maori
-12
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Harvey (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 | 12,947 | 45.3% | 40.0% | 11,657 | 43.9% | 39.4% | +1,290 | +1.4pp |
| Australian | 11,451 | 40.1% | 36.3% | 10,516 | 39.6% | 39.9% | +935 | +0.5pp |
| Scottish | 2,681 | 9.4% | 9.0% | 2,380 | 9.0% | 8.8% | +301 | +0.4pp |
| Irish | 2,578 | 9.0% | 8.6% | 2,519 | 9.5% | 8.7% | +59 | -0.5pp |
| Italian | 2,209 | 7.7% | 3.8% | 2,077 | 7.8% | 3.6% | +132 | -0.1pp |
| German | 921 | 3.2% | 3.4% | 794 | 3.0% | 3.3% | +127 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 842 | 2.9% | 7.8% | 93 | 0.4% | 3.1% | +749 | +2.5pp |
| Filipino | 630 | 2.2% | 1.5% | 426 | 1.6% | 1.3% | +204 | +0.6pp |
| Dutch | 619 | 2.2% | 1.9% | 591 | 2.2% | 1.8% | +28 | 0.0pp |
| Maori | 467 | 1.6% | 1.3% | 479 | 1.8% | 1.2% | -12 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).