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 Karoonda East Murray (DC) were Australian, English and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Karoonda East Murray (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Karoonda East Murray (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Karoonda East Murray (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Australian
2021 count
450
% of total
22.7%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
450
22.7%
+1.8pp
English
2021 count
413
% of total
20.8%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
413
20.8%
-1.7pp
German
2021 count
170
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
170
8.6%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
63
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
63
3.2%
-1.1pp
Irish
2021 count
54
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
54
2.7%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
19
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
19
1.0%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
12
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
12
0.6%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
11
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
11
0.6%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-2
+1.8pp
English
-74
-1.7pp
German
-7
+0.4pp
Scottish
-30
-1.1pp
Irish
+3
+0.3pp
Italian
+4
+0.3pp
Dutch
-8
-0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Karoonda East Murray (DC). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 450 | 22.7% | 20.3% | 452 | 20.9% | 21.0% | -2 | +1.8pp |
| English | 413 | 20.8% | 21.0% | 487 | 22.5% | 20.5% | -74 | -1.7pp |
| German | 170 | 8.6% | 5.3% | 177 | 8.2% | 5.4% | -7 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 63 | 3.2% | 4.6% | 93 | 4.3% | 4.5% | -30 | -1.1pp |
| Irish | 54 | 2.7% | 3.8% | 51 | 2.4% | 3.9% | +3 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 19 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 15 | 0.7% | 1.1% | +4 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 12 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 20 | 0.9% | 0.8% | -8 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 11 | 0.6% | 2.2% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Total | 1,986 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,162 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -176 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).