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 Melville (C) were English, Australian and Chinese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Melville (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Melville (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Melville (C), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
37,741
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
37,741
18.2%
0.0pp
Australian
2021 count
29,482
% of total
14.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
29,482
14.2%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
12,544
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
12,544
6.1%
+0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
10,023
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
10,023
4.8%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
10,010
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
10,010
4.8%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
6,972
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
6,972
3.4%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
3,096
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,096
1.5%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
2,900
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
2,900
1.4%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
1,919
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,919
0.9%
0.0pp
Croatian
2021 count
1,536
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,536
0.7%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,982
0.0pp
Australian
+1,552
0.0pp
Chinese
+2,071
+0.8pp
Irish
+164
-0.2pp
Scottish
+610
0.0pp
Italian
+722
+0.2pp
German
+170
0.0pp
Indian
+153
0.0pp
Dutch
+98
0.0pp
Croatian
+403
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Melville (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Perth.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | pp | |
| English | 37,741 | 18.2% | 18.5% | 35,759 | 18.2% | 18.6% | +1,982 | 0.0pp |
| Australian | 29,482 | 14.2% | 14.0% | 27,930 | 14.2% | 14.1% | +1,552 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 12,544 | 6.1% | 2.7% | 10,473 | 5.3% | 2.6% | +2,071 | +0.8pp |
| Irish | 10,023 | 4.8% | 4.4% | 9,859 | 5.0% | 4.6% | +164 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 10,010 | 4.8% | 4.3% | 9,400 | 4.8% | 4.3% | +610 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 6,972 | 3.4% | 2.8% | 6,250 | 3.2% | 2.7% | +722 | +0.2pp |
| German | 3,096 | 1.5% | 1.4% | 2,926 | 1.5% | 1.4% | +170 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 2,900 | 1.4% | 1.7% | 2,747 | 1.4% | 1.7% | +153 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 1,919 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1,821 | 0.9% | 1.0% | +98 | 0.0pp |
| Croatian | 1,536 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1,133 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +403 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 206,949 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 196,109 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +10,840 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).