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 Victoria Park (T) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Victoria Park (T) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Victoria Park (T) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Perth and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Victoria Park (T), with comparison markers for Greater Perth.
English
2021 count
12,104
% of total
16.4%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
12,104
16.4%
+1.0pp
Australian
2021 count
9,511
% of total
12.9%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
9,511
12.9%
+1.1pp
Irish
2021 count
3,508
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
3,508
4.8%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
3,187
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
3,187
4.3%
+0.3pp
Chinese
2021 count
2,702
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
2,702
3.7%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
2,095
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,095
2.8%
+0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
1,473
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
1,473
2.0%
-0.4pp
German
2021 count
1,128
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,128
1.5%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
676
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
676
0.9%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
619
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
619
0.8%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,343
+1.0pp
Australian
+1,227
+1.1pp
Irish
+96
-0.1pp
Scottish
+366
+0.3pp
Chinese
-46
-0.2pp
Italian
+314
+0.3pp
Indian
-188
-0.4pp
German
+138
+0.1pp
Dutch
+59
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+531
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Victoria Park (T). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Perth.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | % | Greater Perth% | Count | pp | |
| English | 12,104 | 16.4% | 18.5% | 10,761 | 15.4% | 18.6% | +1,343 | +1.0pp |
| Australian | 9,511 | 12.9% | 14.0% | 8,284 | 11.8% | 14.1% | +1,227 | +1.1pp |
| Irish | 3,508 | 4.8% | 4.4% | 3,412 | 4.9% | 4.6% | +96 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 3,187 | 4.3% | 4.3% | 2,821 | 4.0% | 4.3% | +366 | +0.3pp |
| Chinese | 2,702 | 3.7% | 2.7% | 2,748 | 3.9% | 2.6% | -46 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 2,095 | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1,781 | 2.5% | 2.7% | +314 | +0.3pp |
| Indian | 1,473 | 2.0% | 1.7% | 1,661 | 2.4% | 1.7% | -188 | -0.4pp |
| German | 1,128 | 1.5% | 1.4% | 990 | 1.4% | 1.4% | +138 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 676 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 617 | 0.9% | 1.0% | +59 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 619 | 0.8% | 0.9% | 88 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +531 | +0.7pp |
| Total | 73,770 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 69,969 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,801 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).