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 Airport West were Australian, English and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Airport West - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Airport West in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Moonee Valley (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Airport West, with comparison markers for Moonee Valley (C).
Australian
2021 count
2,036
% of total
24.9%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
2,036
24.9%
+1.0pp
English
2021 count
1,946
% of total
23.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,946
23.8%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
1,940
% of total
23.7%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
1,940
23.7%
+0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
852
% of total
10.4%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
852
10.4%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
589
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
589
7.2%
-0.1pp
Greek
2021 count
467
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
467
5.7%
+0.7pp
Maltese
2021 count
330
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
330
4.0%
+0.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
275
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
275
3.4%
+0.9pp
Indian
2021 count
217
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
217
2.7%
-0.4pp
German
2021 count
210
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
210
2.6%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+231
+1.0pp
English
+152
+0.1pp
Italian
+201
+0.7pp
Irish
+32
-0.4pp
Scottish
+35
-0.1pp
Greek
+87
+0.7pp
Maltese
+58
+0.4pp
Chinese
+87
+0.9pp
Indian
-19
-0.4pp
German
+22
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Airport West. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Moonee Valley (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Moonee Valley (C)% | Count | % | Moonee Valley (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,036 | 24.9% | 23.2% | 1,805 | 23.9% | 23.1% | +231 | +1.0pp |
| English | 1,946 | 23.8% | 24.0% | 1,794 | 23.7% | 23.6% | +152 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 1,940 | 23.7% | 17.4% | 1,739 | 23.0% | 16.7% | +201 | +0.7pp |
| Irish | 852 | 10.4% | 11.3% | 820 | 10.8% | 11.8% | +32 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 589 | 7.2% | 7.3% | 554 | 7.3% | 7.1% | +35 | -0.1pp |
| Greek | 467 | 5.7% | 5.3% | 380 | 5.0% | 5.0% | +87 | +0.7pp |
| Maltese | 330 | 4.0% | 2.7% | 272 | 3.6% | 2.4% | +58 | +0.4pp |
| Chinese | 275 | 3.4% | 5.0% | 188 | 2.5% | 4.8% | +87 | +0.9pp |
| Indian | 217 | 2.7% | 2.8% | 236 | 3.1% | 2.9% | -19 | -0.4pp |
| German | 210 | 2.6% | 2.9% | 188 | 2.5% | 2.7% | +22 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).