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 Ballan were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Ballan - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Ballan in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Moorabool (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Ballan, with comparison markers for Moorabool (S).
English
2021 count
1,432
% of total
21.2%
Change from 2016
+7.4pp
1,432
21.2%
+7.4pp
Australian
2021 count
1,419
% of total
21.0%
Change from 2016
+5.5pp
1,419
21.0%
+5.5pp
Irish
2021 count
472
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
472
7.0%
-3.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
418
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
418
6.2%
-3.3pp
German
2021 count
160
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-
160
2.4%
-
Maltese
2021 count
127
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
127
1.9%
-
Italian
2021 count
105
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-
105
1.6%
-
Dutch
2021 count
58
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
58
0.9%
-3.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
46
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
46
0.7%
-
Polish
2021 count
31
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
31
0.5%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,416
+7.4pp
Australian
+1,401
+5.5pp
Irish
+460
-3.3pp
Scottish
+407
-3.3pp
Dutch
+53
-3.4pp
Filipino
+3
-6.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Ballan. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Moorabool (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Moorabool (S)% | Count | % | Moorabool (S)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,432 | 21.2% | 19.4% | 16 | 13.8% | 19.7% | +1,416 | +7.4pp |
| Australian | 1,419 | 21.0% | 19.6% | 18 | 15.5% | 19.9% | +1,401 | +5.5pp |
| Irish | 472 | 7.0% | 6.6% | 12 | 10.3% | 7.3% | +460 | -3.3pp |
| Scottish | 418 | 6.2% | 5.7% | 11 | 9.5% | 5.6% | +407 | -3.3pp |
| German | 160 | 2.4% | 2.1% | - | - | 2.2% | - | - |
| Maltese | 127 | 1.9% | 1.9% | - | - | 1.7% | - | - |
| Italian | 105 | 1.6% | 2.0% | - | - | 1.9% | - | - |
| Dutch | 58 | 0.9% | 1.1% | 5 | 4.3% | 1.1% | +53 | -3.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 46 | 0.7% | 0.7% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Polish | 31 | 0.5% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 6,746 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 116 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,630 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).