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 Northam (S) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Northam (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Northam (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Northam (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
English
2021 count
4,619
% of total
20.4%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
4,619
20.4%
+0.8pp
Australian
2021 count
4,423
% of total
19.5%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
4,423
19.5%
-1.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,030
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,030
4.5%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
998
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
998
4.4%
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
667
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+2.5pp
667
2.9%
+2.5pp
German
2021 count
407
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
407
1.8%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
299
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
299
1.3%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
204
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
204
0.9%
0.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
202
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
202
0.9%
0.0pp
Polish
2021 count
169
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
169
0.7%
0.0pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+277
+0.8pp
Australian
-155
-1.1pp
Scottish
+45
+0.1pp
Irish
+126
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+577
+2.5pp
German
+57
+0.2pp
Italian
+30
+0.1pp
Dutch
+10
0.0pp
Filipino
-6
0.0pp
Polish
+18
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Northam (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | pp | |
| English | 4,619 | 20.4% | 20.0% | 4,342 | 19.6% | 19.7% | +277 | +0.8pp |
| Australian | 4,423 | 19.5% | 18.2% | 4,578 | 20.6% | 19.9% | -155 | -1.1pp |
| Scottish | 1,030 | 4.5% | 4.5% | 985 | 4.4% | 4.4% | +45 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 998 | 4.4% | 4.3% | 872 | 3.9% | 4.3% | +126 | +0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 667 | 2.9% | 3.9% | 90 | 0.4% | 1.5% | +577 | +2.5pp |
| German | 407 | 1.8% | 1.7% | 350 | 1.6% | 1.7% | +57 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 299 | 1.3% | 1.9% | 269 | 1.2% | 1.8% | +30 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 204 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 194 | 0.9% | 0.9% | +10 | 0.0pp |
| Filipino | 202 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 208 | 0.9% | 0.7% | -6 | 0.0pp |
| Polish | 169 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 151 | 0.7% | 0.3% | +18 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 22,685 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 22,177 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +508 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).