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 Wahgunyah were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wahgunyah - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wahgunyah in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Indigo (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wahgunyah, with comparison markers for Indigo (S).
Australian
2021 count
494
% of total
46.6%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
494
46.6%
+2.3pp
English
2021 count
466
% of total
43.9%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
466
43.9%
-0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
135
% of total
12.7%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
135
12.7%
-2.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
87
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
87
8.2%
-0.8pp
German
2021 count
65
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
65
6.1%
+0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
22
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
22
2.1%
-0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
16
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
16
1.5%
-
Dutch
2021 count
16
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
16
1.5%
-0.5pp
French
2021 count
10
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
10
0.9%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+8
+2.3pp
English
-25
-0.8pp
Irish
-30
-2.3pp
Scottish
-12
-0.8pp
German
+5
+0.6pp
Italian
-3
-0.2pp
Dutch
-6
-0.5pp
French
+1
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wahgunyah. 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 | 494 | 46.6% | 42.8% | 486 | 44.3% | 42.9% | +8 | +2.3pp |
| English | 466 | 43.9% | 43.8% | 491 | 44.7% | 41.8% | -25 | -0.8pp |
| Irish | 135 | 12.7% | 14.7% | 165 | 15.0% | 13.8% | -30 | -2.3pp |
| Scottish | 87 | 8.2% | 12.5% | 99 | 9.0% | 11.7% | -12 | -0.8pp |
| German | 65 | 6.1% | 6.2% | 60 | 5.5% | 6.2% | +5 | +0.6pp |
| Italian | 22 | 2.1% | 2.5% | 25 | 2.3% | 2.2% | -3 | -0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 16 | 1.5% | 1.5% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Dutch | 16 | 1.5% | 2.1% | 22 | 2.0% | 1.9% | -6 | -0.5pp |
| French | 10 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 9 | 0.8% | 0.6% | +1 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).