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 were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Unley - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Unley in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Unley (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Unley, with comparison markers for Unley (C).
English
2021 count
1,458
% of total
36.5%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
1,458
36.5%
+1.7pp
Australian
2021 count
1,108
% of total
27.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,108
27.7%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
409
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
409
10.2%
+0.9pp
Irish
2021 count
370
% of total
9.3%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
370
9.3%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
342
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
342
8.6%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
300
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
300
7.5%
+0.2pp
Greek
2021 count
288
% of total
7.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
288
7.2%
+0.2pp
Chinese
2021 count
274
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
274
6.9%
+0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
111
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
111
2.8%
+0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
85
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
85
2.1%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+65
+1.7pp
Australian
-10
-0.2pp
Scottish
+36
+0.9pp
Irish
-36
-0.8pp
Italian
+15
+0.4pp
German
+7
+0.2pp
Greek
+6
+0.2pp
Chinese
+4
+0.2pp
Indian
+20
+0.5pp
Dutch
+26
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Unley. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Unley (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Unley (C)% | Count | % | Unley (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,458 | 36.5% | 37.5% | 1,393 | 34.8% | 36.9% | +65 | +1.7pp |
| Australian | 1,108 | 27.7% | 29.5% | 1,118 | 27.9% | 29.3% | -10 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 409 | 10.2% | 10.7% | 373 | 9.3% | 10.1% | +36 | +0.9pp |
| Irish | 370 | 9.3% | 10.1% | 406 | 10.1% | 10.3% | -36 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 342 | 8.6% | 6.5% | 327 | 8.2% | 6.1% | +15 | +0.4pp |
| German | 300 | 7.5% | 7.9% | 293 | 7.3% | 7.7% | +7 | +0.2pp |
| Greek | 288 | 7.2% | 5.5% | 282 | 7.0% | 5.4% | +6 | +0.2pp |
| Chinese | 274 | 6.9% | 5.9% | 270 | 6.7% | 6.0% | +4 | +0.2pp |
| Indian | 111 | 2.8% | 2.6% | 91 | 2.3% | 2.4% | +20 | +0.5pp |
| Dutch | 85 | 2.1% | 1.6% | 59 | 1.5% | 1.2% | +26 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).