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 Chiltern were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Chiltern - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Chiltern in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Indigo (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Chiltern, with comparison markers for Indigo (S).
Australian
2021 count
730
% of total
23.1%
Change from 2016
+13.4pp
730
23.1%
+13.4pp
English
2021 count
695
% of total
22.0%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
695
22.0%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
198
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
-9.8pp
198
6.3%
-9.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
171
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-
171
5.4%
-
German
2021 count
79
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
-10.4pp
79
2.5%
-10.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
40
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-
40
1.3%
-
Italian
2021 count
26
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
26
0.8%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
18
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
18
0.6%
-
Welsh
2021 count
17
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
17
0.5%
-
French
2021 count
13
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
13
0.4%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+724
+13.4pp
English
+681
-0.6pp
Irish
+188
-9.8pp
German
+71
-10.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Chiltern. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Indigo (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Indigo (S)% | Count | % | Indigo (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 730 | 23.1% | 21.4% | 6 | 9.7% | 21.5% | +724 | +13.4pp |
| English | 695 | 22.0% | 21.9% | 14 | 22.6% | 20.9% | +681 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 198 | 6.3% | 7.4% | 10 | 16.1% | 6.9% | +188 | -9.8pp |
| Scottish | 171 | 5.4% | 6.3% | - | - | 5.9% | - | - |
| German | 79 | 2.5% | 3.1% | 8 | 12.9% | 3.1% | +71 | -10.4pp |
| Dutch | 40 | 1.3% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.9% | - | - |
| Italian | 26 | 0.8% | 1.2% | - | - | 1.1% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 18 | 0.6% | 0.7% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
| Welsh | 17 | 0.5% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| French | 13 | 0.4% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Total | 3,163 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 62 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,101 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).