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 were English, Australian and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Waroona - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Waroona in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Waroona (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Waroona, with comparison markers for Waroona (S).
English
2021 count
1,286
% of total
22.6%
Change from 2016
+10.5pp
1,286
22.6%
+10.5pp
Australian
2021 count
1,039
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
+5.3pp
1,039
18.2%
+5.3pp
Italian
2021 count
360
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
+4.2pp
360
6.3%
+4.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
289
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
289
5.1%
0.0pp
Irish
2021 count
229
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-3.0pp
229
4.0%
-3.0pp
German
2021 count
115
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-
115
2.0%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
106
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
106
1.9%
-
Filipino
2021 count
46
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-3.8pp
46
0.8%
-3.8pp
New Zealander
2021 count
36
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
36
0.6%
-
Dutch
2021 count
30
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
30
0.5%
-0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,241
+10.5pp
Australian
+991
+5.3pp
Italian
+352
+4.2pp
Scottish
+270
0.0pp
Irish
+203
-3.0pp
Filipino
+29
-3.8pp
Dutch
+27
-0.3pp
Chinese
+9
-1.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Waroona. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Waroona (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Waroona (S)% | Count | % | Waroona (S)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,286 | 22.6% | 22.0% | 45 | 12.1% | 20.8% | +1,241 | +10.5pp |
| Australian | 1,039 | 18.2% | 18.5% | 48 | 12.9% | 19.9% | +991 | +5.3pp |
| Italian | 360 | 6.3% | 5.5% | 8 | 2.1% | 5.5% | +352 | +4.2pp |
| Scottish | 289 | 5.1% | 5.0% | 19 | 5.1% | 4.6% | +270 | 0.0pp |
| Irish | 229 | 4.0% | 4.1% | 26 | 7.0% | 3.8% | +203 | -3.0pp |
| German | 115 | 2.0% | 2.1% | - | - | 1.6% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 106 | 1.9% | 1.9% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Filipino | 46 | 0.8% | 0.7% | 17 | 4.6% | 0.5% | +29 | -3.8pp |
| New Zealander | 36 | 0.6% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Dutch | 30 | 0.5% | 0.8% | 3 | 0.8% | 0.7% | +27 | -0.3pp |
| Total | 5,700 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 373 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +5,327 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).