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 Mount Barker (DC) were English, Australian and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mount Barker (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mount Barker (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Adelaide and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mount Barker (DC), with comparison markers for Greater Adelaide.
English
2021 count
18,438
% of total
47.0%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
18,438
47.0%
+1.0pp
Australian
2021 count
15,795
% of total
40.3%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
15,795
40.3%
-1.0pp
German
2021 count
4,631
% of total
11.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
4,631
11.8%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
4,084
% of total
10.4%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
4,084
10.4%
+0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
3,527
% of total
9.0%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
3,527
9.0%
+0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
1,193
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,193
3.0%
+0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
1,074
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,074
2.7%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
483
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
483
1.2%
+1.0pp
Welsh
2021 count
361
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
361
0.9%
+0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
340
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
340
0.9%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3,090
+1.0pp
Australian
+2,000
-1.0pp
German
+667
-0.1pp
Scottish
+806
+0.6pp
Irish
+707
+0.6pp
Italian
+314
+0.4pp
Dutch
+221
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+413
+1.0pp
Welsh
+86
+0.1pp
Polish
+68
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mount Barker (DC). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Adelaide.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | pp | |
| English | 18,438 | 47.0% | 36.8% | 15,348 | 46.0% | 37.3% | +3,090 | +1.0pp |
| Australian | 15,795 | 40.3% | 30.2% | 13,795 | 41.3% | 30.9% | +2,000 | -1.0pp |
| German | 4,631 | 11.8% | 6.7% | 3,964 | 11.9% | 6.8% | +667 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 4,084 | 10.4% | 8.2% | 3,278 | 9.8% | 8.2% | +806 | +0.6pp |
| Irish | 3,527 | 9.0% | 7.6% | 2,820 | 8.4% | 8.1% | +707 | +0.6pp |
| Italian | 1,193 | 3.0% | 6.8% | 879 | 2.6% | 6.8% | +314 | +0.4pp |
| Dutch | 1,074 | 2.7% | 1.7% | 853 | 2.6% | 1.6% | +221 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 483 | 1.2% | 1.6% | 70 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +413 | +1.0pp |
| Welsh | 361 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 275 | 0.8% | 0.8% | +86 | +0.1pp |
| Polish | 340 | 0.9% | 1.3% | 272 | 0.8% | 1.3% | +68 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).