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 Railton (part) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Railton (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Railton (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Kentish (M) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Railton (part), with comparison markers for Kentish (M).
English
2021 count
483
% of total
22.3%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
483
22.3%
-1.2pp
Australian
2021 count
438
% of total
20.2%
Change from 2016
-3.1pp
438
20.2%
-3.1pp
Irish
2021 count
125
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
125
5.8%
+1.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
97
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
+4.1pp
97
4.5%
+4.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
89
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
89
4.1%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
31
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
31
1.4%
-0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
21
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
21
1.0%
+0.6pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
15
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
15
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-1,213
-1.2pp
Australian
-1,247
-3.1pp
Irish
-214
+1.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+69
+4.1pp
Scottish
-193
+0.2pp
German
-103
-0.5pp
Dutch
-9
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Railton (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Kentish (M).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Kentish (M)% | Count | % | Kentish (M)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 483 | 22.3% | 21.5% | 1,696 | 23.5% | 21.8% | -1,213 | -1.2pp |
| Australian | 438 | 20.2% | 21.4% | 1,685 | 23.3% | 22.9% | -1,247 | -3.1pp |
| Irish | 125 | 5.8% | 4.5% | 339 | 4.7% | 4.5% | -214 | +1.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 97 | 4.5% | 2.8% | 28 | 0.4% | 0.1% | +69 | +4.1pp |
| Scottish | 89 | 4.1% | 4.9% | 282 | 3.9% | 4.6% | -193 | +0.2pp |
| German | 31 | 1.4% | 2.0% | 134 | 1.9% | 1.8% | -103 | -0.5pp |
| Dutch | 21 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 30 | 0.4% | 1.1% | -9 | +0.6pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 15 | 0.7% | 0.3% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 2,165 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,224 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -5,059 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).