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 Wickham (WA) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wickham (WA) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wickham (WA) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Karratha (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wickham (WA), with comparison markers for Karratha (C).
Australian
2021 count
776
% of total
38.4%
Change from 2016
-9.1pp
776
38.4%
-9.1pp
English
2021 count
631
% of total
31.2%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
631
31.2%
-1.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
235
% of total
11.6%
Change from 2016
+8.5pp
235
11.6%
+8.5pp
Irish
2021 count
136
% of total
6.7%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
136
6.7%
-1.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
126
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
126
6.2%
-0.9pp
German
2021 count
83
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
83
4.1%
+1.2pp
Maori
2021 count
66
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
66
3.3%
+0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
65
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
65
3.2%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
56
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
56
2.8%
+1.0pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
38
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
38
1.9%
+1.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-313
-9.1pp
English
-120
-1.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+165
+8.5pp
Irish
-54
-1.6pp
Scottish
-38
-0.9pp
German
+17
+1.2pp
Maori
-1
+0.4pp
Italian
-9
0.0pp
Filipino
+15
+1.0pp
Torres Strait Islander
+33
+1.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wickham (WA). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Karratha (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Karratha (C)% | Count | % | Karratha (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 776 | 38.4% | 32.8% | 1,089 | 47.5% | 40.4% | -313 | -9.1pp |
| English | 631 | 31.2% | 30.5% | 751 | 32.7% | 30.6% | -120 | -1.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 235 | 11.6% | 10.2% | 70 | 3.1% | 3.6% | +165 | +8.5pp |
| Irish | 136 | 6.7% | 7.3% | 190 | 8.3% | 7.6% | -54 | -1.6pp |
| Scottish | 126 | 6.2% | 7.2% | 164 | 7.1% | 7.6% | -38 | -0.9pp |
| German | 83 | 4.1% | 3.1% | 66 | 2.9% | 3.0% | +17 | +1.2pp |
| Maori | 66 | 3.3% | 2.0% | 67 | 2.9% | 2.1% | -1 | +0.4pp |
| Italian | 65 | 3.2% | 2.7% | 74 | 3.2% | 2.4% | -9 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 56 | 2.8% | 2.7% | 41 | 1.8% | 2.8% | +15 | +1.0pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 38 | 1.9% | 1.0% | 5 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +33 | +1.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).