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 Unley (C) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Unley (C) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Unley (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Adelaide and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Unley (C), with comparison markers for Greater Adelaide.
English
2021 count
14,499
% of total
37.5%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
14,499
37.5%
+0.6pp
Australian
2021 count
11,385
% of total
29.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
11,385
29.5%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
4,116
% of total
10.7%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
4,116
10.7%
+0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
3,911
% of total
10.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
3,911
10.1%
-0.2pp
German
2021 count
3,062
% of total
7.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
3,062
7.9%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
2,523
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
2,523
6.5%
+0.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
2,287
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,287
5.9%
-0.1pp
Greek
2021 count
2,142
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,142
5.5%
+0.1pp
Indian
2021 count
1,000
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,000
2.6%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
610
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
610
1.6%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+590
+0.6pp
Australian
+330
+0.2pp
Scottish
+319
+0.6pp
Irish
+18
-0.2pp
German
+164
+0.2pp
Italian
+240
+0.4pp
Chinese
+34
-0.1pp
Greek
+94
+0.1pp
Indian
+98
+0.2pp
Dutch
+141
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Unley (C). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Adelaide.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | % | Greater Adelaide% | Count | pp | |
| English | 14,499 | 37.5% | 36.8% | 13,909 | 36.9% | 37.3% | +590 | +0.6pp |
| Australian | 11,385 | 29.5% | 30.2% | 11,055 | 29.3% | 30.9% | +330 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 4,116 | 10.7% | 8.2% | 3,797 | 10.1% | 8.2% | +319 | +0.6pp |
| Irish | 3,911 | 10.1% | 7.6% | 3,893 | 10.3% | 8.1% | +18 | -0.2pp |
| German | 3,062 | 7.9% | 6.7% | 2,898 | 7.7% | 6.8% | +164 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 2,523 | 6.5% | 6.8% | 2,283 | 6.1% | 6.8% | +240 | +0.4pp |
| Chinese | 2,287 | 5.9% | 4.1% | 2,253 | 6.0% | 3.9% | +34 | -0.1pp |
| Greek | 2,142 | 5.5% | 2.7% | 2,048 | 5.4% | 2.7% | +94 | +0.1pp |
| Indian | 1,000 | 2.6% | 3.0% | 902 | 2.4% | 2.4% | +98 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 610 | 1.6% | 1.7% | 469 | 1.2% | 1.6% | +141 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).