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 Clapham were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Clapham - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Clapham in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mitcham (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Clapham, with comparison markers for Mitcham (C).
English
2021 count
734
% of total
43.6%
Change from 2016
+3.0pp
734
43.6%
+3.0pp
Australian
2021 count
652
% of total
38.7%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
652
38.7%
+0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
200
% of total
11.9%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
200
11.9%
+1.6pp
German
2021 count
161
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
161
9.6%
+1.6pp
Irish
2021 count
141
% of total
8.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
141
8.4%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
68
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
68
4.0%
-0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
65
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
65
3.9%
+0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
53
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
53
3.1%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
32
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
32
1.9%
+0.3pp
Polish
2021 count
27
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
27
1.6%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+67
+3.0pp
Australian
+27
+0.7pp
Scottish
+30
+1.6pp
German
+30
+1.6pp
Irish
+5
+0.1pp
Chinese
-9
-0.7pp
Italian
+8
+0.4pp
Greek
+2
0.0pp
Dutch
+5
+0.3pp
Polish
+1
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Clapham. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mitcham (C)% | Count | % | Mitcham (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 734 | 43.6% | 42.1% | 667 | 40.6% | 41.5% | +67 | +3.0pp |
| Australian | 652 | 38.7% | 33.7% | 625 | 38.0% | 33.3% | +27 | +0.7pp |
| Scottish | 200 | 11.9% | 10.6% | 170 | 10.3% | 10.2% | +30 | +1.6pp |
| German | 161 | 9.6% | 8.3% | 131 | 8.0% | 8.1% | +30 | +1.6pp |
| Irish | 141 | 8.4% | 9.5% | 136 | 8.3% | 10.0% | +5 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 68 | 4.0% | 4.3% | 77 | 4.7% | 4.0% | -9 | -0.7pp |
| Italian | 65 | 3.9% | 4.5% | 57 | 3.5% | 4.0% | +8 | +0.4pp |
| Greek | 53 | 3.1% | 3.5% | 51 | 3.1% | 3.5% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 32 | 1.9% | 1.9% | 27 | 1.6% | 1.7% | +5 | +0.3pp |
| Polish | 27 | 1.6% | 1.4% | 26 | 1.6% | 1.2% | +1 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).