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 Salisbury (C) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Salisbury (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Salisbury (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Adelaide and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Salisbury (C), with comparison markers for Greater Adelaide.
English
2021 count
44,878
% of total
30.8%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
44,878
30.8%
-2.4pp
Australian
2021 count
39,428
% of total
27.0%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
39,428
27.0%
-2.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
8,237
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
8,237
5.6%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
7,503
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
7,503
5.1%
-0.9pp
German
2021 count
7,403
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
7,403
5.1%
-0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
7,012
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
7,012
4.8%
-0.4pp
Indian
2021 count
5,884
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
5,884
4.0%
+0.9pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
5,735
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
5,735
3.9%
-0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
4,069
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
4,069
2.8%
-0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
3,647
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
3,647
2.5%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-942
-2.4pp
Australian
-983
-2.3pp
Scottish
-302
-0.6pp
Irish
-757
-0.9pp
German
-534
-0.7pp
Italian
-198
-0.4pp
Indian
+1,552
+0.9pp
Vietnamese
+108
-0.2pp
Chinese
-123
-0.2pp
Filipino
+810
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Salisbury (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Adelaide.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | pp | |
| English | 44,878 | 30.8% | 36.8% | 45,820 | 33.2% | 37.3% | -942 | -2.4pp |
| Australian | 39,428 | 27.0% | 30.2% | 40,411 | 29.3% | 30.9% | -983 | -2.3pp |
| Scottish | 8,237 | 5.6% | 8.2% | 8,539 | 6.2% | 8.2% | -302 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 7,503 | 5.1% | 7.6% | 8,260 | 6.0% | 8.1% | -757 | -0.9pp |
| German | 7,403 | 5.1% | 6.7% | 7,937 | 5.8% | 6.8% | -534 | -0.7pp |
| Italian | 7,012 | 4.8% | 6.8% | 7,210 | 5.2% | 6.8% | -198 | -0.4pp |
| Indian | 5,884 | 4.0% | 3.0% | 4,332 | 3.1% | 2.4% | +1,552 | +0.9pp |
| Vietnamese | 5,735 | 3.9% | 1.6% | 5,627 | 4.1% | 1.5% | +108 | -0.2pp |
| Chinese | 4,069 | 2.8% | 4.1% | 4,192 | 3.0% | 3.9% | -123 | -0.2pp |
| Filipino | 3,647 | 2.5% | 1.3% | 2,837 | 2.1% | 1.0% | +810 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).