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 Nedlands (C) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Nedlands (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Nedlands (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Nedlands (C), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
8,604
% of total
38.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
8,604
38.9%
-0.3pp
Australian
2021 count
6,734
% of total
30.4%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
6,734
30.4%
-1.2pp
Irish
2021 count
2,561
% of total
11.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,561
11.6%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,534
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,534
11.4%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
2,515
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
2,515
11.4%
+1.0pp
Italian
2021 count
930
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
930
4.2%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
831
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
831
3.8%
+0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
651
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
651
2.9%
+0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
490
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
490
2.2%
+0.5pp
Greek
2021 count
299
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
299
1.4%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+334
-0.3pp
Australian
+66
-1.2pp
Irish
+170
+0.3pp
Scottish
+141
+0.1pp
Chinese
+315
+1.0pp
Italian
+90
+0.2pp
German
+81
+0.2pp
Indian
+115
+0.4pp
Dutch
+124
+0.5pp
Greek
+9
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Nedlands (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Perth.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | pp | |
| English | 8,604 | 38.9% | 37.1% | 8,270 | 39.2% | 37.2% | +334 | -0.3pp |
| Australian | 6,734 | 30.4% | 28.0% | 6,668 | 31.6% | 28.3% | +66 | -1.2pp |
| Irish | 2,561 | 11.6% | 8.8% | 2,391 | 11.3% | 9.2% | +170 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 2,534 | 11.4% | 8.7% | 2,393 | 11.3% | 8.6% | +141 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 2,515 | 11.4% | 5.3% | 2,200 | 10.4% | 5.1% | +315 | +1.0pp |
| Italian | 930 | 4.2% | 5.5% | 840 | 4.0% | 5.3% | +90 | +0.2pp |
| German | 831 | 3.8% | 2.8% | 750 | 3.6% | 2.8% | +81 | +0.2pp |
| Indian | 651 | 2.9% | 3.5% | 536 | 2.5% | 3.3% | +115 | +0.4pp |
| Dutch | 490 | 2.2% | 2.0% | 366 | 1.7% | 1.9% | +124 | +0.5pp |
| Greek | 299 | 1.4% | 0.7% | 290 | 1.4% | 0.7% | +9 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).