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 The Coorong (DC) were Australian, English and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
The Coorong (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for The Coorong (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for The Coorong (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Australian
2021 count
2,230
% of total
20.5%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
2,230
20.5%
-1.1pp
English
2021 count
2,188
% of total
20.1%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
2,188
20.1%
-1.0pp
German
2021 count
639
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
639
5.9%
-0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
447
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
447
4.1%
-0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
366
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
366
3.4%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
291
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
291
2.7%
+1.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
118
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
118
1.1%
-0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
52
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
52
0.5%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
48
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
48
0.4%
-0.2pp
New Zealander
2021 count
30
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
30
0.3%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-96
-1.1pp
English
-79
-1.0pp
German
-36
-0.4pp
Scottish
-37
-0.4pp
Irish
+1
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+151
+1.4pp
Dutch
-6
-0.1pp
Filipino
+10
+0.1pp
Italian
-19
-0.2pp
New Zealander
+6
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for The Coorong (DC). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,230 | 20.5% | 20.3% | 2,326 | 21.6% | 21.0% | -96 | -1.1pp |
| English | 2,188 | 20.1% | 21.0% | 2,267 | 21.1% | 20.5% | -79 | -1.0pp |
| German | 639 | 5.9% | 5.3% | 675 | 6.3% | 5.4% | -36 | -0.4pp |
| Scottish | 447 | 4.1% | 4.6% | 484 | 4.5% | 4.5% | -37 | -0.4pp |
| Irish | 366 | 3.4% | 3.8% | 365 | 3.4% | 3.9% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 291 | 2.7% | 2.2% | 140 | 1.3% | 0.6% | +151 | +1.4pp |
| Dutch | 118 | 1.1% | 0.8% | 124 | 1.2% | 0.8% | -6 | -0.1pp |
| Filipino | 52 | 0.5% | 0.4% | 42 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +10 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 48 | 0.4% | 1.1% | 67 | 0.6% | 1.1% | -19 | -0.2pp |
| New Zealander | 30 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 24 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 10,898 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10,757 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +141 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).