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 Kalgoorlie/Boulder (C) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Kalgoorlie/Boulder (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Kalgoorlie/Boulder (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Kalgoorlie/Boulder (C), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Australian
2021 count
9,862
% of total
16.8%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
9,862
16.8%
-1.6pp
English
2021 count
9,774
% of total
16.7%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
9,774
16.7%
-0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
2,457
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
2,457
4.2%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,437
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
2,437
4.2%
-0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,891
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
1,891
3.2%
+2.3pp
Maori
2021 count
1,201
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,201
2.0%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
990
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
990
1.7%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
980
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
980
1.7%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
888
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
888
1.5%
+0.3pp
New Zealander
2021 count
588
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
588
1.0%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,195
-1.6pp
English
-674
-0.7pp
Irish
-386
-0.5pp
Scottish
-206
-0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,380
+2.3pp
Maori
+109
+0.2pp
German
-169
-0.2pp
Italian
-53
0.0pp
Filipino
+175
+0.3pp
New Zealander
-62
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Kalgoorlie/Boulder (C). 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 | |
| Australian | 9,862 | 16.8% | 18.2% | 11,057 | 18.4% | 19.9% | -1,195 | -1.6pp |
| English | 9,774 | 16.7% | 20.0% | 10,448 | 17.4% | 19.7% | -674 | -0.7pp |
| Irish | 2,457 | 4.2% | 4.3% | 2,843 | 4.7% | 4.3% | -386 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 2,437 | 4.2% | 4.5% | 2,643 | 4.4% | 4.4% | -206 | -0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,891 | 3.2% | 3.9% | 511 | 0.9% | 1.5% | +1,380 | +2.3pp |
| Maori | 1,201 | 2.0% | 0.6% | 1,092 | 1.8% | 0.6% | +109 | +0.2pp |
| German | 990 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1,159 | 1.9% | 1.7% | -169 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 980 | 1.7% | 1.9% | 1,033 | 1.7% | 1.8% | -53 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 888 | 1.5% | 0.8% | 713 | 1.2% | 0.7% | +175 | +0.3pp |
| New Zealander | 588 | 1.0% | 0.6% | 650 | 1.1% | 0.6% | -62 | -0.1pp |
| Total | 58,617 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 60,062 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -1,445 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).