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 Mitchell (S) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mitchell (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mitchell (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Vic. and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mitchell (S), with comparison markers for Regional Vic..
Australian
2021 count
19,117
% of total
38.7%
Change from 2016
-2.8pp
19,117
38.7%
-2.8pp
English
2021 count
18,006
% of total
36.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
18,006
36.4%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
5,829
% of total
11.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
5,829
11.8%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
4,667
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
4,667
9.4%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
2,884
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
2,884
5.8%
+0.6pp
German
2021 count
1,995
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,995
4.0%
-0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
1,162
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
1,162
2.3%
+1.3pp
Maltese
2021 count
1,094
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,094
2.2%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,021
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+1.9pp
1,021
2.1%
+1.9pp
Dutch
2021 count
794
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
794
1.6%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+2,148
-2.8pp
English
+2,852
-0.6pp
Irish
+806
-0.5pp
Scottish
+754
-0.2pp
Italian
+766
+0.6pp
German
+335
-0.1pp
Indian
+750
+1.3pp
Maltese
+264
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+946
+1.9pp
Dutch
+135
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mitchell (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Vic..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 19,117 | 38.7% | 39.2% | 16,969 | 41.5% | 40.0% | +2,148 | -2.8pp |
| English | 18,006 | 36.4% | 40.6% | 15,154 | 37.0% | 40.1% | +2,852 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 5,829 | 11.8% | 12.9% | 5,023 | 12.3% | 13.0% | +806 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 4,667 | 9.4% | 11.7% | 3,913 | 9.6% | 11.3% | +754 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 2,884 | 5.8% | 3.9% | 2,118 | 5.2% | 3.7% | +766 | +0.6pp |
| German | 1,995 | 4.0% | 4.6% | 1,660 | 4.1% | 4.6% | +335 | -0.1pp |
| Indian | 1,162 | 2.3% | 1.0% | 412 | 1.0% | 0.7% | +750 | +1.3pp |
| Maltese | 1,094 | 2.2% | 0.7% | 830 | 2.0% | 0.6% | +264 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,021 | 2.1% | 1.9% | 75 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +946 | +1.9pp |
| Dutch | 794 | 1.6% | 2.3% | 659 | 1.6% | 2.2% | +135 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).