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 Balaklava were Australian, English and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Balaklava - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Balaklava in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Wakefield (DC) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Balaklava, with comparison markers for Wakefield (DC).
Australian
2021 count
977
% of total
46.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
977
46.9%
+0.2pp
English
2021 count
933
% of total
44.8%
Change from 2016
+2.4pp
933
44.8%
+2.4pp
German
2021 count
229
% of total
11.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
229
11.0%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
202
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
202
9.7%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
126
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
126
6.0%
-1.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
56
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-
56
2.7%
-
Filipino
2021 count
49
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
49
2.4%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
27
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
27
1.3%
-0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
18
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
18
0.9%
+0.3pp
French
2021 count
11
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
11
0.5%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+20
+0.2pp
English
+65
+2.4pp
German
+5
+0.1pp
Scottish
+6
+0.1pp
Irish
-27
-1.5pp
Filipino
-2
-0.1pp
Italian
-1
-0.1pp
Dutch
+5
+0.3pp
French
+7
+0.3pp
Norwegian
+4
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Balaklava. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Wakefield (DC).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Wakefield (DC)% | Count | % | Wakefield (DC)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 977 | 46.9% | 46.0% | 957 | 46.7% | 44.8% | +20 | +0.2pp |
| English | 933 | 44.8% | 43.8% | 868 | 42.4% | 42.4% | +65 | +2.4pp |
| German | 229 | 11.0% | 10.4% | 224 | 10.9% | 11.0% | +5 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 202 | 9.7% | 9.2% | 196 | 9.6% | 9.9% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 126 | 6.0% | 7.7% | 153 | 7.5% | 7.6% | -27 | -1.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 56 | 2.7% | 2.7% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Filipino | 49 | 2.4% | 2.4% | 51 | 2.5% | 1.9% | -2 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 27 | 1.3% | 1.9% | 28 | 1.4% | 1.7% | -1 | -0.1pp |
| Dutch | 18 | 0.9% | 1.2% | 13 | 0.6% | 1.4% | +5 | +0.3pp |
| French | 11 | 0.5% | 0.2% | 4 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +7 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).