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 Kingston (C) (Vic.) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Kingston (C) (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Kingston (C) (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Melbourne and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Kingston (C) (Vic.), with comparison markers for Greater Melbourne.
English
2021 count
48,963
% of total
15.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
48,963
15.5%
+0.2pp
Australian
2021 count
42,799
% of total
13.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
42,799
13.5%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
16,873
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
16,873
5.3%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
13,571
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
13,571
4.3%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
10,598
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
10,598
3.4%
+0.3pp
Greek
2021 count
9,412
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
9,412
3.0%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
8,937
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
8,937
2.8%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
6,437
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
6,437
2.0%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
5,124
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
5,124
1.6%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
2,575
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,575
0.8%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,545
+0.2pp
Australian
+2,295
+0.1pp
Irish
+362
-0.2pp
Scottish
+734
+0.1pp
Chinese
+1,225
+0.3pp
Greek
+521
+0.1pp
Italian
+803
+0.1pp
Indian
+366
0.0pp
German
+242
0.0pp
Dutch
+342
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Kingston (C) (Vic.). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | pp | |
| English | 48,963 | 15.5% | 12.8% | 46,418 | 15.3% | 13.3% | +2,545 | +0.2pp |
| Australian | 42,799 | 13.5% | 11.7% | 40,504 | 13.4% | 12.0% | +2,295 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 16,873 | 5.3% | 4.2% | 16,511 | 5.5% | 4.6% | +362 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 13,571 | 4.3% | 3.6% | 12,837 | 4.2% | 3.7% | +734 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 10,598 | 3.4% | 4.2% | 9,373 | 3.1% | 4.0% | +1,225 | +0.3pp |
| Greek | 9,412 | 3.0% | 1.7% | 8,891 | 2.9% | 1.8% | +521 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 8,937 | 2.8% | 3.3% | 8,134 | 2.7% | 3.3% | +803 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 6,437 | 2.0% | 2.7% | 6,071 | 2.0% | 2.2% | +366 | 0.0pp |
| German | 5,124 | 1.6% | 1.4% | 4,882 | 1.6% | 1.5% | +242 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 2,575 | 0.8% | 0.7% | 2,233 | 0.7% | 0.7% | +342 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 316,275 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 302,749 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +13,526 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).