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 Waroona (S) were English, Australian and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Waroona (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Waroona (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Waroona (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
English
2021 count
1,864
% of total
22.0%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
1,864
22.0%
+1.2pp
Australian
2021 count
1,566
% of total
18.5%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
1,566
18.5%
-1.4pp
Italian
2021 count
467
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
467
5.5%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
424
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
424
5.0%
+0.4pp
Irish
2021 count
350
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
350
4.1%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
174
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
174
2.1%
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
157
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
157
1.9%
+1.7pp
Dutch
2021 count
64
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
64
0.8%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
57
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
57
0.7%
+0.2pp
New Zealander
2021 count
52
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
52
0.6%
0.0pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+145
+1.2pp
Australian
-77
-1.4pp
Italian
+10
0.0pp
Scottish
+44
+0.4pp
Irish
+32
+0.3pp
German
+41
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+138
+1.7pp
Dutch
+3
+0.1pp
Filipino
+14
+0.2pp
New Zealander
-1
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Waroona (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,864 | 22.0% | 20.0% | 1,719 | 20.8% | 19.7% | +145 | +1.2pp |
| Australian | 1,566 | 18.5% | 18.2% | 1,643 | 19.9% | 19.9% | -77 | -1.4pp |
| Italian | 467 | 5.5% | 1.9% | 457 | 5.5% | 1.8% | +10 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 424 | 5.0% | 4.5% | 380 | 4.6% | 4.4% | +44 | +0.4pp |
| Irish | 350 | 4.1% | 4.3% | 318 | 3.8% | 4.3% | +32 | +0.3pp |
| German | 174 | 2.1% | 1.7% | 133 | 1.6% | 1.7% | +41 | +0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 157 | 1.9% | 3.9% | 19 | 0.2% | 1.5% | +138 | +1.7pp |
| Dutch | 64 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 61 | 0.7% | 0.9% | +3 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 57 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 43 | 0.5% | 0.7% | +14 | +0.2pp |
| New Zealander | 52 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 53 | 0.6% | 0.6% | -1 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 8,463 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 8,275 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +188 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).