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 Gordon (Vic.) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Gordon (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Gordon (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Moorabool (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Gordon (Vic.), with comparison markers for Moorabool (S).
Australian
2021 count
566
% of total
40.6%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
566
40.6%
+2.0pp
English
2021 count
539
% of total
38.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
539
38.7%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
206
% of total
14.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
206
14.8%
+0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
165
% of total
11.8%
Change from 2016
+2.1pp
165
11.8%
+2.1pp
Maltese
2021 count
75
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
75
5.4%
+1.1pp
German
2021 count
70
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
70
5.0%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
48
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
48
3.4%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
31
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
31
2.2%
+0.5pp
Croatian
2021 count
19
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
19
1.4%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
16
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
16
1.1%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+122
+2.0pp
English
+93
0.0pp
Irish
+41
+0.5pp
Scottish
+53
+2.1pp
Maltese
+26
+1.1pp
German
+9
-0.3pp
Italian
+12
+0.3pp
Dutch
+11
+0.5pp
Croatian
+3
0.0pp
Russian
+11
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Gordon (Vic.). 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 | |
| Australian | 566 | 40.6% | 39.2% | 444 | 38.6% | 39.9% | +122 | +2.0pp |
| English | 539 | 38.7% | 38.8% | 446 | 38.7% | 39.4% | +93 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 206 | 14.8% | 13.2% | 165 | 14.3% | 14.5% | +41 | +0.5pp |
| Scottish | 165 | 11.8% | 11.4% | 112 | 9.7% | 11.2% | +53 | +2.1pp |
| Maltese | 75 | 5.4% | 3.9% | 49 | 4.3% | 3.4% | +26 | +1.1pp |
| German | 70 | 5.0% | 4.3% | 61 | 5.3% | 4.5% | +9 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 48 | 3.4% | 3.9% | 36 | 3.1% | 3.8% | +12 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 31 | 2.2% | 2.3% | 20 | 1.7% | 2.1% | +11 | +0.5pp |
| Croatian | 19 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 16 | 1.4% | 0.7% | +3 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 16 | 1.1% | 1.4% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).