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 Malvern East were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Malvern East - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Malvern East in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Stonnington (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Malvern East, with comparison markers for Stonnington (C).
English
2021 count
6,750
% of total
30.3%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
6,750
30.3%
+1.2pp
Australian
2021 count
5,812
% of total
26.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
5,812
26.1%
+0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
2,651
% of total
11.9%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
2,651
11.9%
-0.6pp
Chinese
2021 count
2,516
% of total
11.3%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
2,516
11.3%
-1.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,132
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
2,132
9.6%
+0.5pp
Greek
2021 count
1,677
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,677
7.5%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
1,320
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,320
5.9%
+0.4pp
Indian
2021 count
866
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
866
3.9%
+0.5pp
German
2021 count
755
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
755
3.4%
-0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
359
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
359
1.6%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+432
+1.2pp
Australian
+203
+0.3pp
Irish
-59
-0.6pp
Chinese
-254
-1.5pp
Scottish
+158
+0.5pp
Greek
-23
-0.3pp
Italian
+124
+0.4pp
Indian
+121
+0.5pp
German
-1
-0.1pp
Polish
+40
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Malvern East. 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 | 6,750 | 30.3% | 32.4% | 6,318 | 29.1% | 31.3% | +432 | +1.2pp |
| Australian | 5,812 | 26.1% | 24.3% | 5,609 | 25.8% | 23.7% | +203 | +0.3pp |
| Irish | 2,651 | 11.9% | 12.7% | 2,710 | 12.5% | 12.7% | -59 | -0.6pp |
| Chinese | 2,516 | 11.3% | 9.0% | 2,770 | 12.8% | 8.8% | -254 | -1.5pp |
| Scottish | 2,132 | 9.6% | 10.6% | 1,974 | 9.1% | 10.1% | +158 | +0.5pp |
| Greek | 1,677 | 7.5% | 5.1% | 1,700 | 7.8% | 4.9% | -23 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 1,320 | 5.9% | 5.3% | 1,196 | 5.5% | 4.7% | +124 | +0.4pp |
| Indian | 866 | 3.9% | 3.1% | 745 | 3.4% | 3.3% | +121 | +0.5pp |
| German | 755 | 3.4% | 3.9% | 756 | 3.5% | 3.6% | -1 | -0.1pp |
| Polish | 359 | 1.6% | 2.3% | 319 | 1.5% | 2.3% | +40 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).