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 Light (RegC) were English, Australian and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Light (RegC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Light (RegC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Light (RegC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
English
2021 count
7,149
% of total
45.3%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
7,149
45.3%
+1.8pp
Australian
2021 count
6,911
% of total
43.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
6,911
43.8%
-0.2pp
German
2021 count
2,299
% of total
14.6%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
2,299
14.6%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,405
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
1,405
8.9%
+0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
1,267
% of total
8.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,267
8.0%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
485
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
485
3.1%
+0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
281
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
281
1.8%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
233
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
233
1.5%
+1.4pp
Welsh
2021 count
115
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
115
0.7%
-0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
96
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
96
0.6%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+732
+1.8pp
Australian
+423
-0.2pp
German
+78
-0.5pp
Scottish
+214
+0.8pp
Irish
+38
-0.3pp
Italian
+89
+0.4pp
Dutch
+31
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+216
+1.4pp
Welsh
-10
-0.1pp
Polish
0
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Light (RegC). 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 | |
| English | 7,149 | 45.3% | 42.0% | 6,417 | 43.5% | 41.1% | +732 | +1.8pp |
| Australian | 6,911 | 43.8% | 40.5% | 6,488 | 44.0% | 42.1% | +423 | -0.2pp |
| German | 2,299 | 14.6% | 10.7% | 2,221 | 15.1% | 10.9% | +78 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 1,405 | 8.9% | 9.2% | 1,191 | 8.1% | 9.0% | +214 | +0.8pp |
| Irish | 1,267 | 8.0% | 7.7% | 1,229 | 8.3% | 7.8% | +38 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 485 | 3.1% | 2.2% | 396 | 2.7% | 2.1% | +89 | +0.4pp |
| Dutch | 281 | 1.8% | 1.7% | 250 | 1.7% | 1.6% | +31 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 233 | 1.5% | 4.3% | 17 | 0.1% | 1.2% | +216 | +1.4pp |
| Welsh | 115 | 0.7% | 0.6% | 125 | 0.8% | 0.6% | -10 | -0.1pp |
| Polish | 96 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 96 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).