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 Unincorporated SA were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Unincorporated SA - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Unincorporated SA in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Unincorporated SA, with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Australian
2021 count
940
% of total
15.6%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
940
15.6%
-0.7pp
English
2021 count
887
% of total
14.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
887
14.8%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
674
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
+4.3pp
674
11.2%
+4.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
256
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
256
4.3%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
204
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
204
3.4%
-0.3pp
German
2021 count
174
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
174
2.9%
-0.9pp
Italian
2021 count
56
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
56
0.9%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
36
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
36
0.6%
+0.2pp
Maori
2021 count
20
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
20
0.3%
0.0pp
Hungarian
2021 count
15
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
15
0.2%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-211
-0.7pp
English
-179
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+191
+4.3pp
Scottish
-43
+0.1pp
Irish
-57
-0.3pp
German
-91
-0.9pp
Italian
+2
+0.1pp
Dutch
+10
+0.2pp
Maori
+1
0.0pp
Hungarian
-1
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Unincorporated SA. 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 | 940 | 15.6% | 20.3% | 1,151 | 16.3% | 21.0% | -211 | -0.7pp |
| English | 887 | 14.8% | 21.0% | 1,066 | 15.1% | 20.5% | -179 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 674 | 11.2% | 2.2% | 483 | 6.9% | 0.6% | +191 | +4.3pp |
| Scottish | 256 | 4.3% | 4.6% | 299 | 4.2% | 4.5% | -43 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 204 | 3.4% | 3.8% | 261 | 3.7% | 3.9% | -57 | -0.3pp |
| German | 174 | 2.9% | 5.3% | 265 | 3.8% | 5.4% | -91 | -0.9pp |
| Italian | 56 | 0.9% | 1.1% | 54 | 0.8% | 1.1% | +2 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 36 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 26 | 0.4% | 0.8% | +10 | +0.2pp |
| Maori | 20 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 19 | 0.3% | 0.1% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Hungarian | 15 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 16 | 0.2% | 0.1% | -1 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 6,008 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,043 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -1,035 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).