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 Moreland (C) were English, Australian and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Moreland (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Moreland (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Melbourne and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Moreland (C), with comparison markers for Greater Melbourne.
English
2021 count
40,134
% of total
23.4%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
40,134
23.4%
+1.4pp
Australian
2021 count
36,699
% of total
21.4%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
36,699
21.4%
+1.4pp
Italian
2021 count
25,653
% of total
15.0%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
25,653
15.0%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
17,959
% of total
10.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
17,959
10.5%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
13,045
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
13,045
7.6%
+0.8pp
Greek
2021 count
10,058
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
10,058
5.9%
-0.2pp
Lebanese
2021 count
6,507
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
6,507
3.8%
-0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
6,462
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
6,462
3.8%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
5,518
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
5,518
3.2%
-0.2pp
German
2021 count
5,139
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
5,139
3.0%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+4,400
+1.4pp
Australian
+4,183
+1.4pp
Italian
+274
-0.6pp
Irish
+1,142
+0.2pp
Scottish
+1,960
+0.8pp
Greek
+170
-0.2pp
Lebanese
-469
-0.5pp
Chinese
+218
0.0pp
Indian
-50
-0.2pp
German
+788
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Moreland (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | % | Greater Melbourne% | Count | pp | |
| English | 40,134 | 23.4% | 25.6% | 35,734 | 22.0% | 26.6% | +4,400 | +1.4pp |
| Australian | 36,699 | 21.4% | 23.4% | 32,516 | 20.0% | 24.0% | +4,183 | +1.4pp |
| Italian | 25,653 | 15.0% | 6.6% | 25,379 | 15.6% | 6.7% | +274 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 17,959 | 10.5% | 8.3% | 16,817 | 10.3% | 9.1% | +1,142 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 13,045 | 7.6% | 7.1% | 11,085 | 6.8% | 7.3% | +1,960 | +0.8pp |
| Greek | 10,058 | 5.9% | 3.5% | 9,888 | 6.1% | 3.6% | +170 | -0.2pp |
| Lebanese | 6,507 | 3.8% | 1.0% | 6,976 | 4.3% | 1.0% | -469 | -0.5pp |
| Chinese | 6,462 | 3.8% | 8.3% | 6,244 | 3.8% | 7.9% | +218 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 5,518 | 3.2% | 5.3% | 5,568 | 3.4% | 4.4% | -50 | -0.2pp |
| German | 5,139 | 3.0% | 2.9% | 4,351 | 2.7% | 3.0% | +788 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).