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 Docklands were Chinese, English and Indian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Docklands - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Docklands in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Melbourne (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Docklands, with comparison markers for Melbourne (C).
Chinese
2021 count
3,411
% of total
22.0%
Change from 2016
-3.2pp
3,411
22.0%
-3.2pp
English
2021 count
2,373
% of total
15.3%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
2,373
15.3%
+1.0pp
Indian
2021 count
2,023
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,023
13.1%
+0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
1,558
% of total
10.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,558
10.1%
+0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
769
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
769
5.0%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
636
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
636
4.1%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
522
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
522
3.4%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
337
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
337
2.2%
+0.3pp
Korean
2021 count
331
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
331
2.1%
-1.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
323
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
323
2.1%
+1.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Chinese
+651
-3.2pp
English
+808
+1.0pp
Indian
+593
+0.1pp
Australian
+485
+0.3pp
Irish
+231
+0.1pp
Scottish
+162
-0.2pp
Italian
+166
+0.2pp
German
+126
+0.3pp
Korean
-18
-1.1pp
Filipino
+208
+1.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Docklands. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Melbourne (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Melbourne (C)% | Count | % | Melbourne (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Chinese | 3,411 | 22.0% | 23.0% | 2,760 | 25.2% | 28.1% | +651 | -3.2pp |
| English | 2,373 | 15.3% | 19.4% | 1,565 | 14.3% | 17.4% | +808 | +1.0pp |
| Indian | 2,023 | 13.1% | 6.6% | 1,430 | 13.0% | 5.2% | +593 | +0.1pp |
| Australian | 1,558 | 10.1% | 13.9% | 1,073 | 9.8% | 12.0% | +485 | +0.3pp |
| Irish | 769 | 5.0% | 7.9% | 538 | 4.9% | 7.4% | +231 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 636 | 4.1% | 6.1% | 474 | 4.3% | 5.6% | +162 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 522 | 3.4% | 4.0% | 356 | 3.2% | 3.7% | +166 | +0.2pp |
| German | 337 | 2.2% | 2.7% | 211 | 1.9% | 2.4% | +126 | +0.3pp |
| Korean | 331 | 2.1% | 1.8% | 349 | 3.2% | 2.3% | -18 | -1.1pp |
| Filipino | 323 | 2.1% | 1.9% | 115 | 1.0% | 1.0% | +208 | +1.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).