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 Coburg were English, Australian and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Coburg - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Coburg in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Moreland (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Coburg, with comparison markers for Moreland (C).
English
2021 count
6,732
% of total
25.3%
Change from 2016
+1.9pp
6,732
25.3%
+1.9pp
Australian
2021 count
6,013
% of total
22.6%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
6,013
22.6%
+1.6pp
Italian
2021 count
4,380
% of total
16.5%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
4,380
16.5%
-0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
3,288
% of total
12.4%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
3,288
12.4%
+0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,444
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
2,444
9.2%
+1.5pp
Greek
2021 count
2,077
% of total
7.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
2,077
7.8%
-0.2pp
Lebanese
2021 count
1,302
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
1,302
4.9%
-0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
937
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
937
3.5%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
931
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
931
3.5%
+0.4pp
Turkish
2021 count
614
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
614
2.3%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+607
+1.9pp
Australian
+524
+1.6pp
Italian
-139
-0.8pp
Irish
+285
+0.9pp
Scottish
+429
+1.5pp
Greek
-29
-0.2pp
Lebanese
-122
-0.5pp
Chinese
+1
-0.1pp
German
+128
+0.4pp
Turkish
+31
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Coburg. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Moreland (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Moreland (C)% | Count | % | Moreland (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 6,732 | 25.3% | 23.4% | 6,125 | 23.4% | 22.0% | +607 | +1.9pp |
| Australian | 6,013 | 22.6% | 21.4% | 5,489 | 21.0% | 20.0% | +524 | +1.6pp |
| Italian | 4,380 | 16.5% | 15.0% | 4,519 | 17.3% | 15.6% | -139 | -0.8pp |
| Irish | 3,288 | 12.4% | 10.5% | 3,003 | 11.5% | 10.3% | +285 | +0.9pp |
| Scottish | 2,444 | 9.2% | 7.6% | 2,015 | 7.7% | 6.8% | +429 | +1.5pp |
| Greek | 2,077 | 7.8% | 5.9% | 2,106 | 8.0% | 6.1% | -29 | -0.2pp |
| Lebanese | 1,302 | 4.9% | 3.8% | 1,424 | 5.4% | 4.3% | -122 | -0.5pp |
| Chinese | 937 | 3.5% | 3.8% | 936 | 3.6% | 3.8% | +1 | -0.1pp |
| German | 931 | 3.5% | 3.0% | 803 | 3.1% | 2.7% | +128 | +0.4pp |
| Turkish | 614 | 2.3% | 2.1% | 583 | 2.2% | 2.0% | +31 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).