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 South Yarra (part) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
South Yarra (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for South Yarra (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Stonnington (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for South Yarra (part), with comparison markers for Stonnington (C).
English
2021 count
7,845
% of total
31.3%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
7,845
31.3%
+1.4pp
Australian
2021 count
5,158
% of total
20.6%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
5,158
20.6%
+1.5pp
Irish
2021 count
3,275
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
3,275
13.1%
+0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,648
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
2,648
10.6%
+0.7pp
Chinese
2021 count
2,573
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
2,573
10.3%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
1,319
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
1,319
5.3%
+1.1pp
German
2021 count
999
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
999
4.0%
+0.3pp
Greek
2021 count
760
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
760
3.0%
+0.4pp
Indian
2021 count
704
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
704
2.8%
-0.2pp
Polish
2021 count
416
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
416
1.7%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+326
+1.4pp
Australian
+362
+1.5pp
Irish
+192
+0.8pp
Scottish
+156
+0.7pp
Chinese
-211
-0.8pp
Italian
+255
+1.1pp
German
+81
+0.3pp
Greek
+116
+0.4pp
Indian
-56
-0.2pp
Polish
+17
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for South Yarra (part). 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 | 7,845 | 31.3% | 32.4% | 7,519 | 29.9% | 31.3% | +326 | +1.4pp |
| Australian | 5,158 | 20.6% | 24.3% | 4,796 | 19.1% | 23.7% | +362 | +1.5pp |
| Irish | 3,275 | 13.1% | 12.7% | 3,083 | 12.3% | 12.7% | +192 | +0.8pp |
| Scottish | 2,648 | 10.6% | 10.6% | 2,492 | 9.9% | 10.1% | +156 | +0.7pp |
| Chinese | 2,573 | 10.3% | 9.0% | 2,784 | 11.1% | 8.8% | -211 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 1,319 | 5.3% | 5.3% | 1,064 | 4.2% | 4.7% | +255 | +1.1pp |
| German | 999 | 4.0% | 3.9% | 918 | 3.7% | 3.6% | +81 | +0.3pp |
| Greek | 760 | 3.0% | 5.1% | 644 | 2.6% | 4.9% | +116 | +0.4pp |
| Indian | 704 | 2.8% | 3.1% | 760 | 3.0% | 3.3% | -56 | -0.2pp |
| Polish | 416 | 1.7% | 2.3% | 399 | 1.6% | 2.3% | +17 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).