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 Prahran were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Prahran - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Prahran in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Stonnington (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Prahran, with comparison markers for Stonnington (C).
English
2021 count
4,177
% of total
34.2%
Change from 2016
+2.4pp
4,177
34.2%
+2.4pp
Australian
2021 count
2,929
% of total
24.0%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
2,929
24.0%
+2.3pp
Irish
2021 count
1,664
% of total
13.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,664
13.6%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,369
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
1,369
11.2%
+0.8pp
Greek
2021 count
828
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
828
6.8%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
641
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
641
5.3%
+1.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
603
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
603
4.9%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
587
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
587
4.8%
+0.7pp
Indian
2021 count
276
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
276
2.3%
+0.2pp
Polish
2021 count
265
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
265
2.2%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+53
+2.4pp
Australian
+114
+2.3pp
Irish
-66
+0.3pp
Scottish
+22
+0.8pp
Greek
-12
+0.3pp
Italian
+82
+1.0pp
Chinese
-11
+0.2pp
German
+57
+0.7pp
Indian
0
+0.2pp
Polish
-2
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Prahran. 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 | 4,177 | 34.2% | 32.4% | 4,124 | 31.8% | 31.3% | +53 | +2.4pp |
| Australian | 2,929 | 24.0% | 24.3% | 2,815 | 21.7% | 23.7% | +114 | +2.3pp |
| Irish | 1,664 | 13.6% | 12.7% | 1,730 | 13.3% | 12.7% | -66 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 1,369 | 11.2% | 10.6% | 1,347 | 10.4% | 10.1% | +22 | +0.8pp |
| Greek | 828 | 6.8% | 5.1% | 840 | 6.5% | 4.9% | -12 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 641 | 5.3% | 5.3% | 559 | 4.3% | 4.7% | +82 | +1.0pp |
| Chinese | 603 | 4.9% | 9.0% | 614 | 4.7% | 8.8% | -11 | +0.2pp |
| German | 587 | 4.8% | 3.9% | 530 | 4.1% | 3.6% | +57 | +0.7pp |
| Indian | 276 | 2.3% | 3.1% | 276 | 2.1% | 3.3% | 0 | +0.2pp |
| Polish | 265 | 2.2% | 2.3% | 267 | 2.1% | 2.3% | -2 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).