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 Surf Coast (S) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Surf Coast (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Surf Coast (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Vic. and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Surf Coast (S), with comparison markers for Regional Vic..
English
2021 count
16,262
% of total
21.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
16,262
21.6%
+0.4pp
Australian
2021 count
14,476
% of total
19.2%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
14,476
19.2%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
6,001
% of total
8.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
6,001
8.0%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
5,179
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
5,179
6.9%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
1,796
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,796
2.4%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
1,463
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,463
1.9%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
905
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
905
1.2%
0.0pp
Polish
2021 count
392
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
392
0.5%
+0.1pp
Maltese
2021 count
347
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
347
0.5%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
308
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
308
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3,789
+0.4pp
Australian
+2,841
-0.6pp
Irish
+1,435
+0.2pp
Scottish
+1,317
+0.3pp
German
+435
+0.1pp
Italian
+483
+0.2pp
Dutch
+210
0.0pp
Polish
+142
+0.1pp
Maltese
+149
+0.2pp
Chinese
+124
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Surf Coast (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Vic..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | pp | |
| English | 16,262 | 21.6% | 20.3% | 12,473 | 21.2% | 20.0% | +3,789 | +0.4pp |
| Australian | 14,476 | 19.2% | 19.6% | 11,635 | 19.8% | 20.0% | +2,841 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 6,001 | 8.0% | 6.4% | 4,566 | 7.8% | 6.5% | +1,435 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 5,179 | 6.9% | 5.8% | 3,862 | 6.6% | 5.7% | +1,317 | +0.3pp |
| German | 1,796 | 2.4% | 2.3% | 1,361 | 2.3% | 2.3% | +435 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 1,463 | 1.9% | 1.9% | 980 | 1.7% | 1.8% | +483 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 905 | 1.2% | 1.1% | 695 | 1.2% | 1.1% | +210 | 0.0pp |
| Polish | 392 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 250 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +142 | +0.1pp |
| Maltese | 347 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 198 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +149 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 308 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 184 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +124 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 75,361 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 58,784 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +16,577 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).