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 Thomastown were Italian, Australian and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Thomastown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Thomastown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Whittlesea (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Thomastown, with comparison markers for Whittlesea (C).
Italian
2021 count
2,798
% of total
13.8%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
2,798
13.8%
-0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
2,304
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
2,304
11.4%
+1.3pp
English
2021 count
1,945
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
1,945
9.6%
+1.2pp
Macedonian
2021 count
1,899
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
1,899
9.4%
-0.5pp
Greek
2021 count
1,547
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,547
7.6%
-0.6pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
1,391
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,391
6.9%
-0.6pp
Chinese
2021 count
1,101
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,101
5.4%
+0.4pp
Indian
2021 count
1,034
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
1,034
5.1%
-1.0pp
Lebanese
2021 count
776
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
776
3.8%
-0.7pp
Turkish
2021 count
467
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
467
2.3%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Italian
-212
-0.9pp
Australian
+229
+1.3pp
English
+213
+1.2pp
Macedonian
-129
-0.5pp
Greek
-131
-0.6pp
Vietnamese
-140
-0.6pp
Chinese
+67
+0.4pp
Indian
-214
-1.0pp
Lebanese
-138
-0.7pp
Turkish
-48
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Thomastown. 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 | |
| Italian | 2,798 | 13.8% | 12.2% | 3,010 | 14.7% | 13.2% | -212 | -0.9pp |
| Australian | 2,304 | 11.4% | 19.7% | 2,075 | 10.1% | 20.0% | +229 | +1.3pp |
| English | 1,945 | 9.6% | 17.6% | 1,732 | 8.4% | 18.7% | +213 | +1.2pp |
| Macedonian | 1,899 | 9.4% | 6.1% | 2,028 | 9.9% | 6.6% | -129 | -0.5pp |
| Greek | 1,547 | 7.6% | 5.3% | 1,678 | 8.2% | 5.9% | -131 | -0.6pp |
| Vietnamese | 1,391 | 6.9% | 2.2% | 1,531 | 7.5% | 2.4% | -140 | -0.6pp |
| Chinese | 1,101 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 1,034 | 5.0% | 4.4% | +67 | +0.4pp |
| Indian | 1,034 | 5.1% | 7.9% | 1,248 | 6.1% | 6.7% | -214 | -1.0pp |
| Lebanese | 776 | 3.8% | 2.2% | 914 | 4.5% | 2.4% | -138 | -0.7pp |
| Turkish | 467 | 2.3% | 1.0% | 515 | 2.5% | 1.1% | -48 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).