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 Port Augusta (C) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Port Augusta (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Port Augusta (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Port Augusta (C), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Australian
2021 count
5,316
% of total
38.4%
Change from 2016
-8.9pp
5,316
38.4%
-8.9pp
English
2021 count
4,540
% of total
32.8%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
4,540
32.8%
-1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
2,389
% of total
17.3%
Change from 2016
+13.9pp
2,389
17.3%
+13.9pp
Irish
2021 count
1,045
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,045
7.6%
-0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
892
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
892
6.5%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
892
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
892
6.5%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
316
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
316
2.3%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
149
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
149
1.1%
-0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
128
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
128
0.9%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
85
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
85
0.6%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,220
-8.9pp
English
-219
-1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,918
+13.9pp
Irish
-40
-0.3pp
Scottish
-16
-0.1pp
German
-36
-0.2pp
Italian
+17
+0.1pp
Dutch
-12
-0.1pp
Indian
+7
0.0pp
Chinese
+13
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Port Augusta (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 5,316 | 38.4% | 40.5% | 6,536 | 47.3% | 42.1% | -1,220 | -8.9pp |
| English | 4,540 | 32.8% | 42.0% | 4,759 | 34.5% | 41.1% | -219 | -1.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 2,389 | 17.3% | 4.3% | 471 | 3.4% | 1.2% | +1,918 | +13.9pp |
| Irish | 1,045 | 7.6% | 7.7% | 1,085 | 7.9% | 7.8% | -40 | -0.3pp |
| Scottish | 892 | 6.5% | 9.2% | 908 | 6.6% | 9.0% | -16 | -0.1pp |
| German | 892 | 6.5% | 10.7% | 928 | 6.7% | 10.9% | -36 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 316 | 2.3% | 2.2% | 299 | 2.2% | 2.1% | +17 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 149 | 1.1% | 1.7% | 161 | 1.2% | 1.6% | -12 | -0.1pp |
| Indian | 128 | 0.9% | 0.4% | 121 | 0.9% | 0.4% | +7 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 85 | 0.6% | 0.5% | 72 | 0.5% | 0.5% | +13 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).