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 Ravensthorpe (S) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Ravensthorpe (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Ravensthorpe (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 Ravensthorpe (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
English
2021 count
891
% of total
21.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
891
21.6%
+0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
808
% of total
19.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
808
19.6%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
203
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
203
4.9%
+0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
199
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
199
4.8%
-0.7pp
German
2021 count
92
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
92
2.2%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
73
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
73
1.8%
+0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
67
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-
67
1.6%
-
South African
2021 count
39
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
39
0.9%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
32
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
32
0.8%
0.0pp
Maori
2021 count
24
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
24
0.6%
0.0pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+152
+0.1pp
Australian
+138
+0.1pp
Irish
+64
+0.9pp
Scottish
+11
-0.7pp
German
+23
+0.2pp
Italian
+40
+0.8pp
South African
+10
+0.1pp
Dutch
+3
0.0pp
Maori
+2
0.0pp
New Zealander
+6
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Ravensthorpe (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 | 891 | 21.6% | 20.0% | 739 | 21.5% | 19.7% | +152 | +0.1pp |
| Australian | 808 | 19.6% | 18.2% | 670 | 19.5% | 19.9% | +138 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 203 | 4.9% | 4.3% | 139 | 4.0% | 4.3% | +64 | +0.9pp |
| Scottish | 199 | 4.8% | 4.5% | 188 | 5.5% | 4.4% | +11 | -0.7pp |
| German | 92 | 2.2% | 1.7% | 69 | 2.0% | 1.7% | +23 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 73 | 1.8% | 1.9% | 33 | 1.0% | 1.8% | +40 | +0.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 67 | 1.6% | 3.9% | - | - | 1.5% | - | - |
| South African | 39 | 0.9% | 0.4% | 29 | 0.8% | 0.4% | +10 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 32 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 29 | 0.8% | 0.9% | +3 | 0.0pp |
| Maori | 24 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 22 | 0.6% | 0.6% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 4,123 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3,433 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +690 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).