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 Armadale (Vic.) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Armadale (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Armadale (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Stonnington (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Armadale (Vic.), with comparison markers for Stonnington (C).
English
2021 count
3,237
% of total
34.6%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
3,237
34.6%
+0.6pp
Australian
2021 count
2,466
% of total
26.3%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
2,466
26.3%
+0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
1,224
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,224
13.1%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,065
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,065
11.4%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
670
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
+2.2pp
670
7.2%
+2.2pp
Italian
2021 count
421
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
421
4.5%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
398
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
398
4.2%
+0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
355
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
355
3.8%
-0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
309
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
309
3.3%
0.0pp
Indian
2021 count
304
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
304
3.2%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+166
+0.6pp
Australian
+163
+0.8pp
Irish
+58
+0.2pp
Scottish
+38
0.0pp
Chinese
+219
+2.2pp
Italian
+20
+0.1pp
German
+51
+0.4pp
Greek
0
-0.1pp
Polish
+7
0.0pp
Indian
-4
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Armadale (Vic.). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Stonnington (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Stonnington (C)% | Count | % | Stonnington (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 3,237 | 34.6% | 32.4% | 3,071 | 34.0% | 31.3% | +166 | +0.6pp |
| Australian | 2,466 | 26.3% | 24.3% | 2,303 | 25.5% | 23.7% | +163 | +0.8pp |
| Irish | 1,224 | 13.1% | 12.7% | 1,166 | 12.9% | 12.7% | +58 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 1,065 | 11.4% | 10.6% | 1,027 | 11.4% | 10.1% | +38 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 670 | 7.2% | 9.0% | 451 | 5.0% | 8.8% | +219 | +2.2pp |
| Italian | 421 | 4.5% | 5.3% | 401 | 4.4% | 4.7% | +20 | +0.1pp |
| German | 398 | 4.2% | 3.9% | 347 | 3.8% | 3.6% | +51 | +0.4pp |
| Greek | 355 | 3.8% | 5.1% | 355 | 3.9% | 4.9% | 0 | -0.1pp |
| Polish | 309 | 3.3% | 2.3% | 302 | 3.3% | 2.3% | +7 | 0.0pp |
| Indian | 304 | 3.2% | 3.1% | 308 | 3.4% | 3.3% | -4 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).