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 Murray Bridge were English, Australian and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Murray Bridge - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Murray Bridge in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Murray Bridge (RC) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Murray Bridge, with comparison markers for Murray Bridge (RC).
English
2021 count
5,844
% of total
19.4%
Change from 2016
-2.7pp
5,844
19.4%
-2.7pp
Australian
2021 count
5,496
% of total
18.3%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
5,496
18.3%
-2.4pp
German
2021 count
1,786
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,786
5.9%
-0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,177
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,177
3.9%
-0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
907
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
907
3.0%
-1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
864
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-
864
2.9%
-
Filipino
2021 count
505
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-
505
1.7%
-
Italian
2021 count
402
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
402
1.3%
+0.3pp
Chinese
2021 count
267
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
267
0.9%
-
Dutch
2021 count
198
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
198
0.7%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+5,636
-2.7pp
Australian
+5,301
-2.4pp
German
+1,725
-0.6pp
Scottish
+1,139
-0.1pp
Irish
+863
-1.7pp
Italian
+393
+0.3pp
Dutch
+188
-0.4pp
Danish
+17
-0.5pp
Greek
+10
-1.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Murray Bridge. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Murray Bridge (RC).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Murray Bridge (RC)% | Count | % | Murray Bridge (RC)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 5,844 | 19.4% | 20.3% | 208 | 22.1% | 19.6% | +5,636 | -2.7pp |
| Australian | 5,496 | 18.3% | 19.0% | 195 | 20.7% | 19.2% | +5,301 | -2.4pp |
| German | 1,786 | 5.9% | 6.4% | 61 | 6.5% | 6.6% | +1,725 | -0.6pp |
| Scottish | 1,177 | 3.9% | 4.1% | 38 | 4.0% | 4.0% | +1,139 | -0.1pp |
| Irish | 907 | 3.0% | 3.1% | 44 | 4.7% | 3.2% | +863 | -1.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 864 | 2.9% | 2.5% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| Filipino | 505 | 1.7% | 1.3% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
| Italian | 402 | 1.3% | 1.5% | 9 | 1.0% | 1.4% | +393 | +0.3pp |
| Chinese | 267 | 0.9% | 0.6% | - | - | 1.3% | - | - |
| Dutch | 198 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 10 | 1.1% | 0.7% | +188 | -0.4pp |
| Total | 30,083 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 942 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +29,141 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).