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 Holdfast Bay (C) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Holdfast Bay (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Holdfast Bay (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Adelaide and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Holdfast Bay (C), with comparison markers for Greater Adelaide.
English
2021 count
16,565
% of total
44.1%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
16,565
44.1%
+1.1pp
Australian
2021 count
12,146
% of total
32.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
12,146
32.4%
+0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
4,306
% of total
11.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
4,306
11.5%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
4,117
% of total
11.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
4,117
11.0%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
2,855
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
2,855
7.6%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
1,715
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
1,715
4.6%
+0.7pp
Greek
2021 count
766
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
766
2.0%
+0.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
704
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
704
1.9%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
653
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
653
1.7%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
538
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
538
1.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,353
+1.1pp
Australian
+875
+0.5pp
Irish
+192
-0.1pp
Scottish
+261
+0.1pp
German
+238
+0.2pp
Italian
+327
+0.7pp
Greek
+183
+0.4pp
Chinese
+51
+0.1pp
Dutch
+77
+0.1pp
Indian
+93
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Holdfast Bay (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Adelaide.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | pp | |
| English | 16,565 | 44.1% | 36.8% | 15,212 | 43.0% | 37.3% | +1,353 | +1.1pp |
| Australian | 12,146 | 32.4% | 30.2% | 11,271 | 31.9% | 30.9% | +875 | +0.5pp |
| Irish | 4,306 | 11.5% | 7.6% | 4,114 | 11.6% | 8.1% | +192 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 4,117 | 11.0% | 8.2% | 3,856 | 10.9% | 8.2% | +261 | +0.1pp |
| German | 2,855 | 7.6% | 6.7% | 2,617 | 7.4% | 6.8% | +238 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 1,715 | 4.6% | 6.8% | 1,388 | 3.9% | 6.8% | +327 | +0.7pp |
| Greek | 766 | 2.0% | 2.7% | 583 | 1.6% | 2.7% | +183 | +0.4pp |
| Chinese | 704 | 1.9% | 4.1% | 653 | 1.8% | 3.9% | +51 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 653 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 576 | 1.6% | 1.6% | +77 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 538 | 1.4% | 3.0% | 445 | 1.3% | 2.4% | +93 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).