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 Donnybrook (Vic.) were Indian, English and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Donnybrook (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Donnybrook (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Whittlesea (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Donnybrook (Vic.), with comparison markers for Whittlesea (C).
Indian
2021 count
427
% of total
20.3%
Change from 2016
-
427
20.3%
-
English
2021 count
331
% of total
15.8%
Change from 2016
-11.4pp
331
15.8%
-11.4pp
Australian
2021 count
310
% of total
14.8%
Change from 2016
-16.6pp
310
14.8%
-16.6pp
Punjabi
2021 count
235
% of total
11.2%
Change from 2016
-
235
11.2%
-
Sikh
2021 count
143
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
-
143
6.8%
-
Italian
2021 count
121
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
-19.6pp
121
5.8%
-19.6pp
Filipino
2021 count
91
% of total
4.3%
Change from 2016
-
91
4.3%
-
Irish
2021 count
73
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-5.4pp
73
3.5%
-5.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
36
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
36
1.7%
-1.3pp
Samoan
2021 count
33
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-
33
1.6%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+285
-11.4pp
Australian
+257
-16.6pp
Italian
+78
-19.6pp
Irish
+58
-5.4pp
Scottish
+31
-1.3pp
Greek
+27
-0.9pp
German
+21
-1.2pp
Maltese
+7
-6.2pp
Macedonian
+12
-2.2pp
Syrian
+4
-4.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Donnybrook (Vic.). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Whittlesea (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Whittlesea (C)% | Count | % | Whittlesea (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Indian | 427 | 20.3% | 7.9% | - | - | 6.7% | - | - |
| English | 331 | 15.8% | 17.6% | 46 | 27.2% | 18.7% | +285 | -11.4pp |
| Australian | 310 | 14.8% | 19.7% | 53 | 31.4% | 20.0% | +257 | -16.6pp |
| Punjabi | 235 | 11.2% | 2.0% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Sikh | 143 | 6.8% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Italian | 121 | 5.8% | 12.2% | 43 | 25.4% | 13.2% | +78 | -19.6pp |
| Filipino | 91 | 4.3% | 1.9% | - | - | 1.6% | - | - |
| Irish | 73 | 3.5% | 4.9% | 15 | 8.9% | 5.6% | +58 | -5.4pp |
| Scottish | 36 | 1.7% | 4.0% | 5 | 3.0% | 4.3% | +31 | -1.3pp |
| Samoan | 33 | 1.6% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).