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 Tarneit were Indian, Australian and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tarneit - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tarneit in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Wyndham (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tarneit, with comparison markers for Wyndham (C).
Indian
2021 count
15,199
% of total
27.0%
Change from 2016
+5.2pp
15,199
27.0%
+5.2pp
Australian
2021 count
5,989
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
-4.3pp
5,989
10.6%
-4.3pp
English
2021 count
5,714
% of total
10.1%
Change from 2016
-5.0pp
5,714
10.1%
-5.0pp
Punjabi
2021 count
4,366
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
+5.4pp
4,366
7.7%
+5.4pp
Filipino
2021 count
2,574
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
2,574
4.6%
-0.6pp
Sikh
2021 count
2,329
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+2.5pp
2,329
4.1%
+2.5pp
Pakistani
2021 count
1,805
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
1,805
3.2%
+1.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
1,700
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
1,700
3.0%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
1,126
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
1,126
2.0%
-1.3pp
Southern Asian, nfd
2021 count
1,117
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
1,117
2.0%
+1.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Indian
+7,653
+5.2pp
Australian
+833
-4.3pp
English
+491
-5.0pp
Punjabi
+3,570
+5.4pp
Filipino
+767
-0.6pp
Sikh
+1,784
+2.5pp
Pakistani
+1,028
+1.0pp
Chinese
+397
-0.8pp
Italian
-7
-1.3pp
Southern Asian, nfd
+778
+1.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tarneit. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Wyndham (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Wyndham (C)% | Count | % | Wyndham (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Indian | 15,199 | 27.0% | 17.4% | 7,546 | 21.8% | 12.6% | +7,653 | +5.2pp |
| Australian | 5,989 | 10.6% | 16.5% | 5,156 | 14.9% | 20.3% | +833 | -4.3pp |
| English | 5,714 | 10.1% | 16.8% | 5,223 | 15.1% | 21.3% | +491 | -5.0pp |
| Punjabi | 4,366 | 7.7% | 3.4% | 796 | 2.3% | 1.0% | +3,570 | +5.4pp |
| Filipino | 2,574 | 4.6% | 3.6% | 1,807 | 5.2% | 3.5% | +767 | -0.6pp |
| Sikh | 2,329 | 4.1% | 1.7% | 545 | 1.6% | 0.6% | +1,784 | +2.5pp |
| Pakistani | 1,805 | 3.2% | 1.9% | 777 | 2.2% | 1.1% | +1,028 | +1.0pp |
| Chinese | 1,700 | 3.0% | 6.3% | 1,303 | 3.8% | 6.3% | +397 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 1,126 | 2.0% | 3.9% | 1,133 | 3.3% | 5.1% | -7 | -1.3pp |
| Southern Asian, nfd | 1,117 | 2.0% | 1.2% | 339 | 1.0% | 0.4% | +778 | +1.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).