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 Joondalup (C) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Joondalup (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Joondalup (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Joondalup (C), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
73,865
% of total
46.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
73,865
46.2%
+0.3pp
Australian
2021 count
48,541
% of total
30.3%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
48,541
30.3%
+0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
19,387
% of total
12.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
19,387
12.1%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
17,584
% of total
11.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
17,584
11.0%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
7,586
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
7,586
4.7%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
5,506
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
5,506
3.4%
+0.1pp
South African
2021 count
3,901
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,901
2.4%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
3,847
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
3,847
2.4%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
3,737
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
3,737
2.3%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
2,764
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,764
1.7%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,991
+0.3pp
Australian
+2,613
+0.6pp
Irish
+1,160
+0.3pp
Scottish
+1,116
+0.3pp
Italian
+951
+0.4pp
German
+388
+0.1pp
South African
+199
0.0pp
Chinese
+269
+0.1pp
Dutch
+335
+0.1pp
Indian
+190
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Joondalup (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Perth.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | pp | |
| English | 73,865 | 46.2% | 37.1% | 70,874 | 45.9% | 37.2% | +2,991 | +0.3pp |
| Australian | 48,541 | 30.3% | 28.0% | 45,928 | 29.7% | 28.3% | +2,613 | +0.6pp |
| Irish | 19,387 | 12.1% | 8.8% | 18,227 | 11.8% | 9.2% | +1,160 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 17,584 | 11.0% | 8.7% | 16,468 | 10.7% | 8.6% | +1,116 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 7,586 | 4.7% | 5.5% | 6,635 | 4.3% | 5.3% | +951 | +0.4pp |
| German | 5,506 | 3.4% | 2.8% | 5,118 | 3.3% | 2.8% | +388 | +0.1pp |
| South African | 3,901 | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3,702 | 2.4% | 1.3% | +199 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 3,847 | 2.4% | 5.3% | 3,578 | 2.3% | 5.1% | +269 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 3,737 | 2.3% | 2.0% | 3,402 | 2.2% | 1.9% | +335 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 2,764 | 1.7% | 3.5% | 2,574 | 1.7% | 3.3% | +190 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).